


When Ghosts Cry

by joongz



Series: Days of Past Darkness [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, No need to have much knowledge of the harry potter universe, Slow Burn, big emphasis on slow burn and plot for this one btw lmao, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:41:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 163,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21669898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joongz/pseuds/joongz
Summary: For the longest time there’s always been a cunning Slytherin and a brave Gryffindor pointing wands at one another. Kim Hongjoong and Park Seonghwa might not exactly fall under that category, for they are a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw, but their rivalry is just as notorious.It escalates when they start their 5th year at Hogwarts and both get assigned as Prefects, and Captains of their respective Quidditch teams.(Otherwise known as your typical Hogwarts rivalry, enemies turned to lovers AU with plot happening around the love story.)(It's an honor to say that there is a Russian translation available now:link!)
Relationships: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Kang Yeosang/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Series: Days of Past Darkness [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1631374
Comments: 690
Kudos: 1291





	1. The Fifth Time

**Author's Note:**

> So I've wanted to write a Harry Potter AU for god knows how long, and here we are at last!!! Can't believe this is happening oof
> 
> Before we throw ourselves into this adventures a few things:  
> \- The events of Harry Potter have all happened but are not really THAT relevant, and you don't have to have read the books/watched the movies to understand this fic! Also fuck JK Rowling and her terf ways! We ignore her in this household and so I have taken a few liberties for some of the plot points.  
> \- Hongjoong and Seonghwa's ages have been changed, making them the same as 99' line. Basically everyone is 15 years old in this fic, except Jongho who is 14.  
> \- Some actions these character take might be shitty, but that's what character development is for, and you might not always know what has happened for them to act a certain way!  
> \- This is a fic, so none of this is real!!!! This is all made up, this isn't necessarily how these people act in real life OR a reflection of how I see them!! Keep that in mind lmao
> 
> I believe that is IT! Enjoy this journey ^_^

When Park Seonghwa walked down Platform 9 ¾ that September morning, he had a bit of a spring in his step.

He was honored, now starting his fifth year at _Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_ , to have been elected a Prefect. He had been worried the privilege would be granted to someone else, that his shenanigans and petty, ugly fights had become his downfall. Once Seonghwa would put on the school robes, there on his chest, pinned atop the grey sweatshirt, would be the shiny Prefect badge. He couldn’t wait to walk the castle’s corridors, his chest puffed out proudly, and take another step towards his perfectly mapped out future. 

The badge felt heavy in his jeans pocket now, though, where he had stored it, as he pushed his cart through the masses of fellow wizards and Muggles that filled out the platform—its significance and responsibility wasn’t one to take lightly, and Seonghwa didn’t intend to.

The Hogwarts Express whistled loudly, smoke arising and making its obsidian body appear shadowy and blurred, almost as if it wasn’t really there and just a figment of Seonghwa’s imagination. The sound jolted him out of his trance and he hurried up, dodging children and parents waving their goodbyes, so he could reach the train and board before it was too late. 

Usually, his timing was impeccable, but the traffic had been terrible that morning.

The ground beneath his feet rattled alive the moment he pulled his luggage inside, nearly crashing into the compartment behind him. He checked to make sure he had carried both his luggage and duffle bag with him, and let out a relieved sigh when he found all his belongings with him. 

For a moment, Seonghwa watched Platform 9 ¾ disappear from in front of him; the people that were huddled together outside became a blurred blob the more speed the Hogwarts Express caught. He tried to ignore his own disappointment and sadness at the fact that his parents hadn’t come to see him off, they still struggled to fully wrap their heads around their wizard son, even after all these years. Seonghwa had learned to deal with the rejection, but it never quite had left, hidden in some distant corner of his mind. 

With a shake of his head and an apologetic smile at the people inside the compartment he had nearly crashed into, Seonghwa grabbed his belongings and started walking towards one of the connection pieces in between one wagon and another, so he could text his friends and ask them what compartment they were seated in. Seconds later a string of messages arrived and he turned around to walk in the opposite direction, towards one of the last wagons.

He glanced through the compartment’s window to make sure it was the right one: it revealed three boys his age. 

One of them had a narrow and delicate frame, his fingers carefully wrapped around a book as his gaze was concentrated on the words, completely immersed in the tale he held. He had dyed, dirty blonde hair that was curled and fell messily around his head. His name was Kang Yeosang, the first friend Seonghwa had ever made at Hogwarts. With him sat their mutual Gryffindor friend, Jeong Wooyoung; the three of them were quite known for their shenanigans and pranks, rumors trailing after them like they were the light and trouble was a moth.

Wooyoung had dark brown hair, parted in the middle, his reading glasses perched on his head and a book lying upside next to his legs. He wore a thick knitted jacket that bulged strangely, as if he was hiding something. Wooyoung was talking to Choi Yeonjun, a classmate of theirs.

Seonghwa opened the compartment door, all three heads whipped in his direction with startlement. Yeosang relaxed the moment he recognized who it was, and Wooyoung stopped trying to (unsuccessfully) hide his Siamese cat—Star—underneath his jacket. They weren’t supposed to carry their pets with them outside of the pet compartment, but Wooyoung was incredibly attached to his furry, four legged companion. 

Yeonjun blinked owlishly at Seonghwa, then he grinned. “There he is, our new Captain!” 

Seonghwa grinned, a bit abashed. When he had received Hogwarts’s letter granting him the honor of becoming a Prefect, he hadn’t expected the attached document revealing he had been elected Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team as well. 

He bowed his head slightly and entered the compartment. Yeosang scooted aside to let Seonghwa sit down, cradling his book as he moved so he didn’t lose the page he was on. He gave Seonghwa a warm and welcoming smile. 

“I’m glad I never tried out for Quidditch,” Wooyoung commented offhandedly. “I’d feel so bad right now, having to compete against my friends and _knowing_ that I would absolutely crush them like little cockroaches,” he added with a dramatic and heavy sigh, shaking his head in lament.

“You’re a lousy flyer,” Yeonjun told him off with a snort, “and you keep getting scared whenever we try to practice with you and a Bludger comes your way!”

“Shh.” Wooyoung leaned forward to press a finger against his lips, shaking his head in a dismissive way. “Stop trying to defend yourself. I get it.”

Yeonjun shot Yeosang and Seonghwa a pleading look, silently asking them for help, but neither bothered. He rolled his eyes, slapping away Wooyoung’s hand, who gasped dramatically. Yeosang promptly returned to his lecture, ignoring his friends’s shenanigans, but he had a gentle smile playing on his lips, clearly comfortable in their presence and enjoying their banter.

“It was nice seeing you guys, but I’ll be on my way. I heard Hwanwoong’s dad developed a new wizarding game,” Yeonjun excused himself. “I’ll see you all at the Welcoming Feast!” With that he left their compartment

Seonghwa himself felt terribly tired after the morning’s excitement and stress of getting to the platform on time. “I’m going to shut my eyes,” he said, yawning loudly, and moved to secure his luggage and duffel bag. “Please don’t burn down the train.” He gave Wooyoung a meaningful glance, the Gryffindor just raised his hands in mock defeat.

Seonghwa plugged in his earphones and searched for his travelling playlist, then he leaned back against the red cushions of the Hogwarts Express and pressed play, relaxing completely. He watched the scenery outside change and shift until his eyes felt too heavy and he let them fall close. 

A dreamless sleep came and went like the tides of a stormy sea.

“Shh, you’ll wake him up, you ass,” a voice mumbled scoldingly. Going by the slight lisp, it had to be Wooyoung—plus, the guilt yet obvious thrill for havoc was another dead giveaway. “I can’t believe he still thinks you’re the sweet angel out of the two of us,” he continued, disappointment noticeable. Then he giggled way too loudly, a bit contradictory to his previous statement. “Shit, he’s waking up!” 

Wooyoung’s panicked voice came from Seonghwa’s immediate personal bubble so he cracked open one eye, staring up at Yeosang’s face, way too close and with guilt written all over his features. Wooyoung was now on the opposite bench, a way too pleased grin crossing his face.

“What—” Seonghwa began, stirring awake. His earphones must have fallen out at some point as they lay scattered on his chest, and he was clutching his phone tightly. He sat up straight, pushing Yeosang away softly. He glared at Wooyoung, waiting for him to spill, but of course the Gryffindor kept his mouth shut, portraying a perfect image of innocence. 

So he glanced back at Yeosang, who crumbled not even a second later. “I’m sorry!” he cried, staring at Seonghwa’s face, somewhere above his eyes.

“What did you guys do?” Seonghwa asked, unlocking his phone to open the front view camera so he could take a look at himself. “You-You dyed my eyebrows?” he asked, mildly afronted, and stared at Wooyoung, knowing it must’ve been his plan.

“In my defence,” Wooyoung started, pushing Star off of his lap. She hissed at him and immediately jumped up to sit on Yeosang’s lap. “This wasn’t really _my_ idea. I said that I really wanted to try out this magical hair dye that supposedly has immediate results…” he clarified, moving his hand in the direction of Seonghwa’s now sunflower yellow eyebrows. “Apparently it dyes your hair in the color of your soul. I just didn’t know it would _actually_ work or that the color of your soul is apparently the color of—”

“Hufflepuff colored eyebrows?” A voice supplied from the compartment’s door, the words were drawled out with arrogance and amusement. “I must say, Park, I’m surprised it took you _this_ long to realize which one the rather superior house is. Are you not one of the, _oh,_ _so smart Ravenclaws_?”

Seonghwa didn’t need to turn around to know who it was, he just knew by the voice. It was a voice he would hardly ever forget, simply because it had been the source of numerous tauntings and spells thrown at him throughout his previous four years at Hogwarts. Of course, Seonghwa always made sure the owner of that annoying voice received the same amount of insults and spells, if not double, thrown back.

Seonghwa smiled, sickly sweet, pushing a loose strand of black hair away from his face, and then turned around so he could look at the intruder.

Kim Hongjoong stood leaning coolly against the side of the compartment’s frame, dressed in his Muggle clothes—a pair of dark blue jeans, cuffed, with a white shirt tucked into them, and a gray plaid button up, which was way too big on him, fell off his shoulders like a coat; closing around his feet were his signature black combat boots. Seonghwa did notice with surprise that his once dark brown hair was dyed a shrill red, and his mullet was gone. It made the Hufflepuff look a lot more intimidating and confident. 

Flanking his right side was Song Mingi, his best friend and fellow Hufflepuff, tall in contrast to Hongjoong, with his black hair pushed away from his face; a mildly unbothered expression as he eyed the Ravenclaws and Gryffindor.

Hongjoong smirked, noticing Seonghwa’s surprise and silent stare. “What?” he asked, shifting his weight. “Don’t tell me you’re actually—”

“I am _not_ ,” Seonghwa interrupted him decidedly, not even wanting to hear whatever horrible and deluded theory he had come up with. “I just didn’t know we had sentient Ketchup bags visiting Hogwarts this year.”

Yeosang let out a loud laugh, which was unusual as he mostly kept quiet and was rather reserved. He was giggling now, though, and reached out his hand to high five Seonghwa. Wooyoung snorted, a miniscule frown appearing, but it vanished quickly and he eyed the intruders with despair.

Hongjoong frowned, standing up straight, and shot Seonghwa an annoyed glance. Mingi’s eyes flickered over to a still laughing Yeosang, quieter now, and then returned to watch Hongjoong as he spoke.

“I don’t know _what_ nonsense you’re blabbering about,” he hissed, clearly flustered that they made a joke about him—one he didn’t necessarily understand. “But just know that I’m going to crush you this year, Park. You didn’t win the Quidditch cup last year and you certainly won’t this one!”

Mingi eyed Seonghwa, expectantly awaiting his answer; to their surprise it was Yeosang that spoke up. “You might have won the cup last year, but don’t forget you lost against us,” he reminded the Hufflepuffs, his voice holding a slight tremble and he had his eyes glued to the book he had been reading. 

Seonghwa noticed that his cheeks were growing red so he moved his hand to pat Yeosang’s knee in an appreciative and comforting way.

Hongjoong scoffed. 

“I came by to tell you that I’m a Prefect this year, so whatever pranks and shenanigans you might think about doing, I’ll make sure you’ll regret it!” Hongjoong threatened them, puffing out his chest.

“Tough luck, man,” Wooyoung said boredly. “Our boy Seonghwa is a Prefect himself. Try again once you’re Head Boy.”

Hongjoong opened his mouth to throw some remark at them, but he was brusquely pushed aside by a boy about his height, except with a much broader built. He let out an offended yelp, rubbing his arm as he glared at the newcomer. Seonghwa grinned, pleased. With a roll of his eyes, Hongjoong stomped away angrily, muttering to himself. Mingi followed suit, but he did shoot them all a vicious glare.

“Good riddance!” Wooyoung yelled after them. “Perfect timing, Jongho.”

“Thanks, I try.” Jongho grinned, taking the seat next to Wooyoung, and reached out to take Star out of Yeosang’s lap so he could shower her with love and kisses. “What the _fuck_ happened to your eyebrows?” he asked then, addressing Seonghwa.

Choi Jongho was a year younger than them, Beater of the Slytherin Quidditch Team. His silky, black hair was shorter than it had been the previous year, and instead of wearing it like the typical coconut haircut many boys their age fancied, he had it parted in the middle. His once bare ears were adorned with piercings—much like Hongjoong’s had been—and his eyes were rimmed with black eyeliner. Unsurprisingly, he was dressed in all black.

“Wooyoung happened,” Yeosang answered. “Do you even have to ask?” The aforementioned boy scoffed but didn’t tell him off.

Seonghwa smiled, ignoring the eyebrow debacle for now. “I see the emo playlists I sent you this summer have influenced you.”

Jongho smiled, looking down at his outfit. “What can I say, these boys in tight black clothing and eyeliner speak some truth.”

“Yeah, we all go through that realization at some point in life,” Yeosang agreed, pointedly pulling out a loose thread of his ripped, black jeans.

“Hey, so, I know we were just clowning Hongjoong; but what did it mean?” Wooyoung asked. “That word… Ketchum?”

“Ketchup,” Seonghwa corrected him.

Yeosang started laughing again, but took pity upon Wooyoung, who was pouting, and began explaining Muggle culture to him, with some interjections from Jongho. 

Seonghwa looked out of the window, the late afternoon darkness falling upon them, and he spotted Hogwarts, taking form as various lights dotting the shadow that rose in the distance; all together making up the castle.

He let out a content sigh, he was _home_ once again.

**~*~**

The Hogsmeade Station always smelled of rain around this time of the year, and of course the saltiness from the Black Lake nearby.

That particular 1st of September, a harsh wind was blowing over the surface of the lake and Seonghwa was glad he was not one of the first years that would have to ride on the small boats to reach Hogwarts. Away from the station, where the path to the castle began, stood the carriages with the invisible thestrals, undoubtedly impactful and scary in the night’s shadows. He often wondered what it would be like to see something that most people simply couldn’t. 

Seonghwa shook his head, straightened his robes, his Prefect badge shining on his chest—or he hoped it was shining, after all he had polished it several times—and marched over to the carriages to stand beside his fellow fifth year Ravenclaw Prefect, Jang Yeeun.

“Hello,” she greeted him, appreciatively eyeing his badge. “I knew you had the material of a Prefect. Despite your, ah, feud with the Hufflepuffs,” she said delicately, but did shoot him a mischievous grin.

“Thank you.” He nodded his head, looking over the mass of students moving around them and getting on the carriages. The first years were called to the boats by Hogwarts’s Groundskeeper, Professor Kim Namjoon. In the distance Seonghwa spotted Yeosang and Wooyoung waiting for him, chatting animatedly with fellow students. “I’m glad to see that your dream of becoming a Prefect came true,” he told Yeeun sincerely.

Both of them were hardworking and ambitious Ravenclaws, fixated on the Head Boy and Head Girl position. Wooyoung often joked that Seonghwa could’ve easily been sorted into Slytherin with his great aspirations.

Yeeun smiled, looking away shyly. “I see your eyebrow accident got fixed,” she mentioned, her index finger pointing in the direction of his eyebrow.

He scrunched up his nose, letting out an embarrassed laugh. “How did you know about that?”

Yeeun jerked her head at a carriage a short distance from them. “Your dearest friend over there,” she pointed a Hongjoong, who was staring at them with his eyebrows furrowed in disapproval, “proclaimed the mishap throughout the entire train, saying you were switching colors.”

Seonghwa snorted. “ _Hah_! He wishes!”

Hongjoong was still staring at them, holding his chin high, as though he was something better than them. Seonghwa rolled his eyes and looked away. He had chosen to fulfill his Prefect duty, he wasn’t going to let Hongjoong disturb that. It wasn’t Seonghwa’s problem if Hongjoong was neglecting his own duties as Prefect, hanging out with his friends instead and, most likely, talking smack about Seonghwa.

“How was your summer?” he asked Yeeun then and listened as she launched into a long story about her scorching days spent together with dragons and her girlfriend.

Once the crowd had thinned out, thankfully no major incidents going down—Seonghwa had only scolded some second year Gryffindor for not wearing his robes adequately—he bid his goodbye to Yeeun and walked to one of the last carriages, where his friends were reunited, a second year boy standing with them. Kang Taehyun, Yeosang’s younger brother and a fellow Ravenclaw.

“All right, now that our Prefect is here, let’s go,” Wooyoung hissed, ushering the Ravenclaws inside the carriage urgently. It was no secret that Wooyoung was able to see thestrals, and it was no secret either that he despised these creatures, terrified and disgusted on equal parts.

In his second year, when they had made them travel with the thestrals-drawn carriages for the first time, Wooyoung’s scream had echoed through the entire Hogsmeade Station—perhaps even had haunted the streets of the nearby small town. He had been rushed to the Hospital Wing immediately, as he had been shaking and crying violently, Madame Eunji had watched him until she’d deemed him stable enough to join the Start-of-Term Feast.

“What’s wrong?” Taehyun asked, nervously glancing between the now moving carriage and Wooyoung’s unusual quiet and sombre demeanor.

“What do you think makes these carriages move, Tae?” Yeosang asked his younger brother, his voice quiet and patient. 

“Magic?”

Yeosang smiled affectionately. “Not quite. You’ll learn about them more if you do take _Care of Magical Creatures_ next year, but these carriages are pulled by thestrals. Only those witnessing the death of someone else can see them. They’re the price you pay for _seeing_ death in the magical world,” he explained in a gentle voice, leaning forward so he could smooth down Taehyun’s fringe. He made a good older brother, it was a shame he didn’t quite believe so himself. “Wooyoung had the misfortune of going through that.”

“Oh…” Taehyun looked up at Wooyoung, the question already forming on the tip of his tongue, ready to be asked, but Yeosang shook his head gently. Taehyun pouted, but he kept quiet.

Seonghwa smiled at the Kang brothers before he turned his attention towards Wooyoung, who sat rigid in his seat, an image of perfect calmness, but beneath this lie of his he was like a stormy sea. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it once used to be, but seeing the thestrals was an annual reminder of the tragedy that was his childhood and family.

“Wooyoung,” he called out, his friend blinked, surprised, and turned his head to look at him. “Where’s Jongho?” he asked; with the Gryffindor it was usually the best to divert the attention away from his pain and sorrows.

Wooyoung shrugged. “He said he wanted to ride with his Slytherin fellows. Felix apparently has some riveting stories to tell of his summer.”

“A shame. I thought we could discuss our next D&D campaign.”

“We can do that tomorrow. After all, classes don’t start until the 3rd,” Yeosang told him.

“I guess you’re right.” Seonghwa leaned back into his seat, still looking at Wooyoung with worry, but the Gryffindor gave him a trembling yet reassuring smile. “We lucked out this year, huh?” 

“Next year, too,” Wooyoung agreed. “I doubt they would make us have one day of classes and then, _bam_! Weekend.”

“We’re going to be sixth years then, don’t be too optimistic,” Yeosang muttered.

Wooyoung’s eyes widened as he took in his friend’s words. “Time sure flies. I still remember getting sorted.” Yeosang grimaced at that, but Seonghwa nodded his head and thought back to his first year.

He came from a Muggle family, so the whole experience had been more than thrilling and exciting, it had been _utterly_ _terrifying_. Seonghwa had thrown up during his first train ride. A trembling and shy, eleven year old Yeosang had handed him a Chocolate Frog as a friendship offering; said frog had jumped out of its box and into the train’s hallway. Until then, the whole wizardry ordeal had still seemed so surreal to Seonghwa, but that damned frog had turned on the switch in his brain that it had been, in fact, all real. _Magic was real_. Thankfully, Yeosang had helped him get to the toilet before he could’ve thrown up into their compartment.

“Remember when we didn’t know about the secret Wi-fi those seveth years had installed, and spent our entire first year without internet,” Seonghwa commented, a horrified expression crossing his face. “I don’t even know how we managed that without dying. You’re so lucky, Taehyun!” He squeezed the youngest shoulder.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Yeosang begged. 

“That year truly was the worst. No texting Yeosang before going to bed, no memes to laugh at at 3am when I couldn’t sleep…” Wooyoung shook his head, shuddering at the memory.

The group fell into animated and loud chatter, the wind settling down at some point, when they put distance between themselves and the Great Lake, and the Forbidden Forest rose to their left. Even if Seonghwa had found himself in there several times—even once at night time for a particular nasty detention in his third year—he still feared it. It was too big and too unknown, there were too many corners someone (or something) could hide in. Worst of all, whenever he stared at it he felt as though someone was staring back.

Seonghwa shuddered and pointedly looked the opposite direction, where a wide field opened up, in the distance the lake spread out like a dark abyss, and if he had nocturnal sight he would probably see the Quidditch pitch. He couldn’t wait to fly again. He never thought he’d be one for flying, considering he grew up a Muggle, but he absolutely loved it. Seonghwa was an avid jogger and the spark he felt whenever he ran boundlessly, with the wind swirling past him and the burning in his legs, reminded him a lot of flying—it was _freeing_.

**~*~**

When the Ravenclaws and their Gryffindor crossed the castle’s huge entrance door to enter the Great Hall, most students had already reunited in the grand room, sitting at their respective tables, Seonghwa found himself relax completely, his shoulders sagging, and a lazy smile bloomed on his face.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Wooyoung told them and bounced off to the right to sit with the Gryffindors.

The Ravenclaws walked over to their own table near the Gryffindor one, searching for empty spots to sit down at. Taehyun walked off to sit with his second year friends, leaving Yeosang and Seonghwa to sit at the edge of the table, by the front of the room where the castle’s staff was seated at. Seonghwa didn’t exactly enjoy that, it felt too much as though they were under the professors’s radar. 

( _No secretly hexing Hongjoong and turning his food stale_ , he thought, a bit dejectedly.) 

The Great Hall’s door opened again and in came the head of their house, Professor Yoo Yeojoo, accompanying the sea of first years. She sent her Ravenclaw students a warm smile and acknowledging nod. She could be strict, but she was kind and fair too. 

Seonghwa let his eyes roam around the room. From where he sat, his back towards the Gryffindor table, he could see the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables clearly, the latter by the far end, a quiet and excited chatter coming from the brimming masses of students. Jongho sat together with his Slytherin friend, Lee Felix, who had bright pink hair this time around, but it could be a matter of seconds before he were to change it again.

Unwillingly, Seonghwa’s eyes drifted towards the Hufflepuff table, searching as he listened to Professor Yoo call out the first student to be sorted. The kid sat down on the stool, nervously tucking on the Sorting Hat, and seconds later the word _Hufflepuff_ sounded loudly in the Great Hall. Seonghwa observed how a blur of black and yellow warmly greeted their new house mate, excited and welcoming. Amidst them, Hongjoong stood out like a sore thumb with his bright red hair. Seonghwa watched him reach out his hand to pat the new Hufflepuff on her shoulder, a blinding smile on his face. His white teeth sparkled just like the Prefect badge on his chest. 

Hongjoong sat down again, pulling down Mingi with him—who was cheering on the scared first year in an excited manner—and their eyes met for a second. Seonghwa’s brain was too sluggish to look away immediately and so Hongjoong caught him staring, raising his eyebrows in taunt question. Seonghwa was about to sneer at him, when Mingi made a rather brusque and offensive movement with his hand, followed by some strange and dumb facial expressions. Hongjoong’s high pitched laughter carried over to the Ravenclaw table. He was slapping Mingi’s shoulder, saying something to him.

“ _Ugh_ ,” Yeosang muttered, a displeased scowl on his lips. “They’re really not clever.” He had his arm propped up on the table, his face lying in the palm of his hand as he boredly stared at the Hufflepuffs. His fluffy, dark blond hair fell over his eyes. Seonghwa moved his hand to remove it away from his face. “Thanks.”

“I can’t wait to beat their asses out on the Quidditch pitch,” Seonghwa muttered, looking away from the Hufflepuff table with a grimace painting his face now. He looked back at the Slytherin table, where Jongho was already staring at him, mouthing something. “What’s he trying to say?” he asked and nodded his chin at their friend.

Yeosang looked away from the Hufflepuff table, too, and squinted his eyes at Jongho. “I’ll. Break. Their. Uh…” Laughter bubbled out of him. “ _I’ll break their kneecaps_.”

Seonghwa gave Jongho a thumbs up, nodding in approval.

“You’re a Prefect, you shouldn’t encourage his violent tendencies,” Yeosang pointed out. Seonghwa shot him a look, pinching his sides. Yeosang squirmed away, a yelp escaping him, and glared reproachfully at Seonghwa.

“Jongho’s allowed to break kneecaps if they’re Hongjoong’s,” he said, sending Jongho finger hearts now, the Slytherin pretended he was dodging the hearts. “Or Mingi’s,” he added as an afterthought.

Yeosang hummed in agreement.

“Ravenclaw!” Professor Yoo called out then, the first Ravenclaw being sorted.

It was a small boy with short, black hair, rich brown eyes, and dark skin. He smiled proudly and hesitantly as he reached the Ravenclaw table. They welcomed him warmly, hugging him and pinching his cheeks as they cooed.

“He looks promising,” someone commented from Seonghwa’s left. It was Seo Changbin, one of their Quidditch Beaters. “Too bad we have to wait until he’s in his second year.”

Seonghwa shrugged. “Our team was pretty strong last year. If it weren’t for two of our best players falling sick…”

Changbin rolled his eyes, “Sorry for _literally_ dying.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” Yeosang told him with a snort.

“Are you going to try out this year again?” Seonghwa inquired, as team Captain it was his duty to win the Quidditch Cup that year, their last (and his only) win had been during his third year.

“Of course, Captain!” Changbin saluted him, then laughed embarrassed at himself.

“I think I’ll try out this year too,” Yeosang spoke up shyly. He used to play in his second and third year, but the past year he hadn’t applied for the tryouts, after the incidents during that summer the pressure and attention had gotten to him, making him unnecessarily anxious.

Seonghwa was glad to hear he had changed his mind. 

“Really?”

“Yes. I’ve missed playing Quidditch, and the team.”

“Everyone will be excited to hear this!” Seonghwa promised him with an encouraging smile.

After all first years were sorted, their Headmistress—Min Yoonji—stood up to hold the yearly speech. Seonghwa tuned it out, this was his fifth year, consecutively, hearing it—even if there were slight alterations to it, essentially it was always the same. When she was done the tables magically filled up with food and the Great Hall fell into moderate silence, as everyone dug in, eating at their heart’s content. 

Seonghwa had missed Hogwarts’s food, not that his parents’s cooking was bad or that he couldn’t cook himself, but there was just something magical (no pun intended) about the food at the castle. Perhaps it was the feeling of being _truly_ home and belonging somewhere that added more to the taste, or perhaps it was just that he absolutely adored Hogwarts and everything within and about it. Whatever it was, by the end of the dinner he had a stuffed belly. 

Once the Welcoming Feast came to an end, the big room filled with wonderful scents still, and the excited and content chatter of the students bounced off the stone walls, Seonghwa let out a pleased sigh. He leaned forward to rest his head on the palm of his hand, his eyelids drooping dangerously.

“Come on,” Yeosang muttered, getting up. Seonghwa followed suit, stretching out. There was nothing more he desired to do than fall into the soft blankets of his bed.

“I am so _fucking_ tired,” he complained, the idea of walking up all the stairs to the fifth floor suddenly felt like a world journey.

“I have to speak with Professor Im about some tutoring classes,” Yeosang said, ducking out of the Great Hall with a wave at Seonghwa. “I’ll see you in the Ravenclaw Tower!” Seonghwa frowned, wondering why on earth Yeosang needed tutoring when he was one of the brightest students in their year. “Don’t forget you’re a Prefect and hold the duty to lead the first years to the Ravenclaw Tower,” Yeosang reminded him, speaking over his shoulder, with concern. If it weren’t for his anxiety he’d be the one to wear the Prefect badge, without doubt.

“Ugh, shut up!” Seonghwa shot back weakly, but he was already searching for Yeeun and the other Prefects to fulfill his duties.

Yeosang grinned and stalked away towards the door where the professors’s offices lay

He had been right, though, and when Seonghwa directed the young Ravenclaws through the castle’s labyrinthine corridors and staircases, he wished he had eaten considerably less. Luckily, each house had six Prefects, which meant it wasn’t the end of the world if Seonghwa was slacking off that night. He lazily helped Yeeun guide a few lost first years towards the staircase that lead to the Ravenclaw Tower.

“Oh, gosh! It’s a ghost!” a girl suddenly screamed, terrified, and pointed her finger at a translucid figure approaching them slowly.

The ghost was floating a few inches over the floor and, although they were fairly distinguishable, they weren’t exactly corporeal. The floating wasn’t usually a thing, this particular ghost just loved to be dramatic. It was a boy, a year older than Seonghwa, with black hair parted in the middle. His eyes held an empty expression, showing more white than his brown irises. His lips were parted, the corners of his mouth twitching as he was holding back loud laughter. 

Compared to the other ghosts in Hogwarts, this one wasn’t as translucent, he looked more human—which was a mystery he never seemed ready to answer.

“Choi San!” Seonghwa scolded him. “Don’t scare the first years!”

San finally broke out of his ‘scary ghost’ character, his laughter high pitched and loud. His eyes crinkled and he bent forward so he could slap his knees. San used to be a Hogwarts student, during the 90s. He was now one of the more notorious Slytherin house ghosts, and heartthrob of _many_ students. He was charming, passionate, funny, and incredibly handsome. With slender cat like eyes, full of mirth and empathy; with full and rich lips, tinted a dark red…

Seonghwa could understand the numerous crushes, but alas, Choi San was a _ghost_.

“Don’t be so boring, Seonghwa,” San complained, rolling his eyes. “Don’t tell me that shiny badge is making you a goody two shoes!” San put a hand on his mouth, in mock shock. It was ironic, considering San had been Prefect before his death.

“San, it’s nice to see you around,” Yeeun interjected politely, “but it’s late and I’m afraid these first years need to rest—us Prefects included.” She pointed at herself and Seonghwa, smiling pointedly at the ghost.

“Of course, right you are, Miss Jang.” San nodded his head, dropping his teasing act, and waved his hand at them as they kept moving. “Ah, Seonghwa, wait!” he called out.

Seonghwa gave Yeeun a questioning look.

“Eh, we’re nearly there anyway,” she said with a resigned sigh. “Go speak with your friend.”

San still stood where he had interrupted them, and he waited for the mass of Ravenclaws to be fully gone before he addressed the Prefect.

“I’m sure Jongho would’ve told you himself, but you know how he is,” San began talking and eyed the numerous staircases; the castle grew tall, far and wide, around them. Now that the first years were gone, it was eerily quiet in the corridor—only the whispering of certain paintings were to be heard. “He doesn’t like to ask for help, or bother you guys too much. Thinks he is a nuisance.” He shook his head as if sad about the fact that Jongho didn’t open up to them.

“What is it, San?” Seonghwa asked, growing a bit impatient. Perhaps San did have all the time in the world, but Seonghwa didn’t, and right now all he wanted to do was to fall into his soft and rather welcoming bed.

“He’s been having nightmares,” San disclosed.

Seonghwa frowned. “Don’t we all have nightmares from time to time?”

The ghost glanced at him, face unreadable. “That might be true, but these nightmares are different.”

“How so?”

“They just are. And I know that over summer they only have gotten worse.”

“He never mentioned any of this in the letters we exchanged,” Seonghwa muttered, feeling a bit hurt that his younger friend hadn’t trusted him fully. “What should we do?”

San shrugged. “I’m not sure. For now, I’ll keep an eye on him, I just thought you should know… I’m a ghost, what I can and can’t do is pretty limited.”

“Thank you for telling me, San.” 

Seonghwa really did appreciate it, he was just a bit concerned how best to bring it up to Jongho without revealing that San had gone behind the Slytherin’s back. _Maybe he’ll come to me_ , Seonghwa thought hopeful. _Or maybe San’s just overreacting._

“I’ll be going then,” the ghost said, inclining his head. “Sleep well, Seonghwa.”

“Good night, San,” he quipped and walked past the ghost, through the big arch, behind which the staircase to the Ravenclaw Tower lay.

“You know I don’t sleep!” the ghost called out; and without looking back, Seonghwa knew San was rolling his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this first chapter hehe
> 
> You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/hhhjoong) and ask me questions on [cc](https://curiouscat.me/mist_) (if you'd like!)  
> Love you all!!💛


	2. Dark Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's get started with some PlotTM !
> 
> Tbh I wasn't gonna update yet but i feel like shit and was like eh fuck it, so here we are djdjjs hope you enjoy 😌

On September 3rd, Seonghwa woke up early due to the sound of his alarm. He was startled out of some strange and confusing dream, and now that he had his eyes opened, blinking at the dark ceiling of the Ravenclaw boy dorms, he barely even remembered what it had been about. 

Whatever it had been, it made him feel off though.

He grabbed his school robes and his neceser bag and made his way over to the Prefect Bathroom. Most of the castle, as Seonghwa came to discover when he left the tower, was still asleep. With a flick of his wand and a whispered _Lumos_ light flooded his surroundings. He made his way through the barely lit corridors of the 5th floor until he reached his destination. He passed by Boris the Bewildered, the face of the statue looked eerily real in the light of Seonghwa’s wand.

He shuddered, a slight tremble to his voice when he whispered out the password, “ _Bell pepper_.” 

He walked through the door, discarding his neceser and robes on a nearby bench. He grabbed a towel from the stack, its material impossibly soft, and went to the showers. The body washes at his disposal all smelled heavenly so he grabbed whichever stood closest to him, it turned out to be an apple scented one—mixed with something else; cinnamon, perhaps? Seonghwa paused, inhaling the body wash, frowning at the familiarity of it, but he wasn’t able to pinpoint where he had smelled it before, so he ignored it and finished up his shower.

Once he was dressed and done, the sun was peeking over the Forbidden Forest, bathing the castle’s surroundings in warm lightning. It seemed like a fresh and clear day, and Seonghwa yearned to grab his broom and fly around, but Quidditch tryouts weren’t until mid September. With one last, longing glance at the nice weather outside and a wishful sigh, he turned around to leave the Prefect Bathroom.

Seonghwa grabbed the handle of the door to yank it open, but someone beat him to it, and he nearly lost his balance. He caught himself in time, reaching out his hand to grab the doorframe. He looked down, the apology on the tip of his tongue, but his mouth closed shut when he recognized the mess of red hair.

Seonghwa froze, staring down at Hongjoong, who was sleepily looking back.

Slowly, Hongjoong grew aware of who it was that was blocking his way, and he blinked rapidly, a funny look crossing his face. He straightened himself out, trying to look taller, and he scoffed unattractively.

“Move out of my way!” he demanded, shouldering past Seonghwa.

“Sorry, your highness,” Seonghwa muttered, rolling his eyes. 

He was about to throw an insult at the Hufflepuff, to get him riled up, but Hongjoong was paying him no mind and was starting to unbutton his pajama shirt. Seonghwa turned around quickly and left, stumbling over his feet. 

_No need to see that_ , he thought to himself with a grimace.

The Great Hall was brimming with life when he stepped in, which only soured his mood further. He preferred it when all the first and second years were still absent, but spotting Yeosang and Wooyoung seated at the Ravenclaw table made him break out into a smile, their heads were pushed together as they read the _Daily Prophet_ and were enjoying their breakfast.

Seonghwa walked over to the table, sliding into the seat next to Wooyoung.

“Good morning,” he greeted them, reaching out to the mountain of golden toasts to grab one. “What are you reading?”

“Mornin’,” Wooyoung said distractedly, not bothering to answer his friend’s question. His eyes were glued to the captivating newspaper.

“There was an attack in a town near Hogsmeade. The perpetrators used very dark magic,” Yeosang replied, looking up from the piece of newspaper. “You were up early today,” he pointed out with curiosity.

“Yes, I wanted to enjoy the solitude of the Prefect Bathroom,” he explained as he generously smeared fig marmalade onto his toast.

“Is it really that great?” Wooyoung asked, sticking his finger in the marmalade. Yeosang grimaced at him, slapping his hand away.

“Don’t be gross,” he muttered.

“It’s all right,” Seonghwa told him, taking a bite out of his toast. “Would’ve been a great first experience if I hadn’t bumped into Kim on my way out.”

Wooyoung’s eyebrows rose up. “Right, I forgot he’s a Prefect too.” He stuck his finger into the marmalade once again, when Yeosang was busy getting himself some almond milk for his second bowl of cereal. “It’s going to be real awkward, huh?”

“I guess so.” Seonghwa shrugged. “I’ll just ignore him.”

Wooyoung snorted. “As if you could…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You two have been rivals for years. You _literally_ cannot ignore him. You’re a good student most of the time, and way too pure, but something about Hongjoong just makes you lose your cool. Whatever it is he does, you have to one up him, or prank him back,” Wooyoung went on listing the numerous incidents and quarrels they’d had over the past years. “And it’s not as if Hongjoong does a good job at ignoring you either,” Wooyoung contemplated, shooting the notorious Hufflepuff a look as he entered the Great Hall.

Hongjoong was now dressed in his school robes. The yellow crest on his chest matched his tie and the lining of his robes, but contrasted with his shiny red hair, which was brushed away from his face neatly—not the mess he’d sported earlier. He looked fresh and cleaned up, his eyes attentive as they wandered across the Great Hall. He did spot Seonghwa and Wooyoung staring at him and sneered at them, fastening his pace to get to his table, where Mingi and his other friend, Jeong Yunho, were already waiting on him.

“How Yunho can be a friend of theirs is beyond me,” Wooyoung muttered, eyeing the tall Gryffindor. “He’s not so bad when they’re not around.”

Seonghwa hummed noncommittally.

**~*~**

_Defence Against the Darks Arts_ was taught in the third floor that year, and it was the first class that Seonghwa had the misfortune of sharing with the Hufflepuffs.

When he walked into the classroom, blissful after nearly two peaceful hours of _History of Magic_ with the Gryffindors, he wanted to yell the moment he saw the sea of yellow and black robes already inside the classroom. He stopped in his steps, ready to backtrack out of the room, but Yeosang stopped him, his hands firmly on Seonghwa’s shoulders.

“Nuh-uh,” he scolded him. “We’re going to have a nice and peaceful rest of morning, all right?” Yeosang walked into the classroom, sitting down at an empty table next to the huge windows that reached up to the ceiling.

“Ugh,” Seonghwa muttered, but followed Yeosang to the table. “Inhale, exhale,” he told himself as he passed in front of Hongjoong’s table, who was distracted by something fascinating Mingi was telling him. “I hope Wooyoung’s having a better morning than us.”

“Doubtful.” Yeosang sniggered. “He literally just fell asleep in _History of Magic_ and Professor Yoo deducted ten points from his house for it.”

The classroom door slammed shut, startling the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and Professor Lee Dior, Head of Slytherin House, walked past the rows of tables with assertive and powerful steps, her high heels’s _click-clack_ bounced off the stone walls.

“I hope you all had a restful summer,” she said with a blinding smile thrown at them. “Because you will need all the rest you can to master this class.” A few protesting groans resonated through the classroom. “It’s your 5th year in Hogwarts, your O.W.L.s are coming up. There is no time to play around and be a lazy wizard!” Professor Lee grabbed the mobile green board and pushed it towards the center of the classroom, she took a piece of chalk and started scribbling down several spells. “The previous years we studied numerous creatures that originated from Dark Magic and can be fought off with easy spells. This year you will learn how to fight off some of the nastiest and most dangerous creatures known, and how to defend yourself against some of the toughest spells in existence,” Professor Lee spoke up, eyeing the classroom with a stern and attentive look. She studied her students. 

She had been their _Defence Against the Dark Arts_ professor since their first year, but she managed to make an impression with each new year. “I have paired together with Professor Kim Namjoon, for those that take _Care of Magical Creatures_ , for the O.W.L.s to battle off a dangerous beast.” She smiled at the gasps she received, not bothering to explain more on the matter though. “Shall we begin?”

There weren’t many Ravenclaws to take _Care of Magical Creatures_ as many fancied the more ‘books & brains’ related subjects, hence the house they found themselves in, but Seonghwa and Yeosang were loyal students of the studies of magical beasts since their third year. Maybe it was because they grew up in a predominantly Muggle environment, or because they were huge fans of _Dungeons & Dragons_.

Naturally, they exchanged an excited look.

“When’s our first _Care of Magical Creatures_ class?” Seonghwa asked his friend in a whisper.

“I believe it’s tomorrow afternoon,” Yeosang replied, checking his time table.

“Ah, Mr Park and Mr Kang, thank you for volunteering to be the first ones to try out today’s spell later in class,” Professor Lee snapped, shooting them a warning look. She did not tolerate anyone speaking during her classes.

“Sorry, Professor,” Seonghwa apologized. Yeosang had his head lowered, his ears were red, and he was jiggling his leg nervously. “Is there a chance for Yeo—Mr Kang, to not become one of the volunteers?” he inquired, tone hopeful.

Professor Lee glanced at Yeosang, her eyes softening instantly. She nodded her head, “I’ll find a different volunteer.”

Seonghwa smiled gratefully at her. “Thank you,” he said.

Yeosang sighed in relief at that, a small smile tugging at his lips when he looked up at Seonghwa. 

Professor Lee launched into a long explanation about the class’s plans and schedules. Seonghwa scribbled everything down, growing excited for the later lessons they’d go through, about casting their Patronus Charm, learning all about defending oneself against the fire of dragons, and dealing with the wounds coming from the magic of dark elves. As a Muggle-born that had an obsession with fantasy novels, movies, and video games, being a Hogwarts student could be incredibly exciting and rewarding.

“You’ve learned healing spells such as _Reparifors_ and _Anapneo_ ,” Professor Lee listed a few other spells as she wrote something new on the green board. “Related to what I mentioned at the beginning of the class, this week we will focus on a particularly complicated spell that holds the name _Draco Medicor_.” She turned to look at her students. “If you go to page 22 of your books, you’ll find the section on the spell and its most distinguished use.”

When Seonghwa flipped his _Defence Against the Dark Arts_ book open to the page Professor Lee had told them, he couldn’t help the giddy smile forming on his face.

“Dude, dragons,” he whispered to Yeosang, who scribbled a bunch of exclamation marks on the edge of his notebook as reply.

“Besides the possible usage of this spell in your O.W.L.s this school year, I hope for your benefit that you won’t need _Draco Medicor_ for any other reason. Most wounds that stem off of a dragon’s fire can be cured with this spell or superior medical knowledge, but there are dragons born from such Dark Magic, that not even this spell could save you,” she explained to them, clearly taking joy in the way the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were hanging off of her every word. “Now, Mr Park, if you would be so kind and come forward,” she demanded, addressing Seonghwa.

He swallowed nervously and stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. 

“Can’t wait to see you embarrass yourself, Park,” Hongjoong taunted him, thinking their teacher wouldn’t catch him, but Professor Lee smiled sweetly at the Hufflepuff Prefect.

“Thank you, Mr Kim, for volunteering to aid Mr Park with the demonstration of _Draco Medicor_.”

Hongjoong opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again, mumbling something to Mingi, who did a bad job at concealing his snort. 

Professor Lee was thankfully busy fetching something from the back of the classroom to witness any of the furious and challenging looks the two boys shot at one another; when she walked up to them, Seonghwa waited by the green board, pointedly ignoring Hongjoong, who had his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“Obviously, we would never submit you to a real dragon, it requires a lot of practice and strength to cure a burn caused by a _real_ dragon… For today we’re going to be using this.” She held up a cage with a small creature sitting inside; it had pale green skin and its eyes were purple, staring back at Seonghwa with mischief. “Can someone tell me what this is?”

Yeeun raised her hand in the air.

“Yes, Miss Jang?”

“It’s a shapeshifting gremlin!” she answered, eyeing the creature with mild disgust.

“Correct! Five points to Ravenclaw!” The gremlin hissed, its small claws grabbing the cage’s metal bars; Professor Lee shot it a disdainful look. “If everyone would be so kind, we need the center of the classroom to be free of all chairs and tables.” Seconds after her words the students moved to follow her orders. “We will have the shapeshifting gremlin turn into a dragon. Once it has injured me, I want you two to practice the _Draco Medicor_ healing spell on me, all right?”

“Yes, Professor,” the two boys said in unison. Hongjoong eyed the gremlin apprehensively, and Seonghwa wondered if perhaps he was scared of dragons. A sly smile grew on his face, he would tease him about it later.

Professor Lee set the cage down, in the center of the classroom, and pointed her wand at it, with a silent spell she conjured the gremlin to shapeshift. The little creatures screamed, convulsing on the floor of the cage, and seconds later it started to grow into a small dragon, breaking out of the cage. Its purple eyes settled on Professor Lee, furiously it opened its mouth to let out a roar. 

A couple of students yelped in surprise and fear, backtracking further away from the scene unfolding. Seonghwa stared, waiting patiently, his wand in his right hand. Hongjoong stood half behind him, biting his bottom lip as he watched the dragon’s every move, his own wand drawn out. 

Professor Lee reached out her arm, calmly, for the dragon to maim. She didn’t even blink when the flames came out of the creature’s mouth, burning her robes and flesh, all she did was flick her wand, causing the dragon to freeze in its movements.

“Now, Mr Park, please show if you can perform the healing spell.”

He stepped forward, eyeing the dragon, its eyes followed Seonghwa. He reached out his wand, swishing it upwards and then downwards before he flicked it at the burning flesh.

“ _Draco Medicor_ ,” he said, articulating it loud and clear. A warm light poured out of the tip of his wand, connecting to the wound on Professor Lee’s arm, the burning flesh slowly began to heal. It wasn’t enough, though, the moment the light vanished, her wound was still there.

“Excellent, Mr Park!” she congratulated him, a smile on her face. “Ten points to Ravenclaw!” Seonghwa inclined his head and stepped back. “Now, Mr Kim, it is your turn.”

Hongjoong stepped forward, still apprehensive, and pointed his wand at the wound. He inhaled deeply, then swished and flicked his wand. 

“ _Draco Medicor_!” 

The spell worked for him, too, not as powerful as Seonghwa’s, but it was enough to cure most of Professor Lee’s arm. 

“Well done, Mr Kim! You should practice your enunciation, but other than that, excellent delivery. Ten points to Hufflepuff!” She smiled warmly at him, squeezing Hongjoong’s shoulder. She turned the dragon back into a shapeshifting gremlin. “For next Monday, I want two thousand words written on the _Draco Medicor_ spell: its origin, its disadvantages, and why it is so hard to conjure and maintain.” With that she dismissed the class.

**~*~**

The Hogwarts Library was cosy and quiet, no one around to question what they were doing. Not that it was anything prohibited or strange, but as Wooyoung had once worded, they had a reputation to uphold. 

It was a Friday afternoon, their classes absolved, dinner in about an hour, and they had gotten together to work on their _Dungeons & Dragons _ campaign for that year. Their old guidebook had been burned by a pair of annoying Hufflepuffs. Usually, they would occupy the unused classroom up in the fourth floor, that Seonghwa had convinced Headmistress Min put at their disposal, but it was undergoing some renovations.

“Wait, elves are good at charming and negotiating, aren’t they?” Jongho asked, frowning down at his character sheet.

Yeosang nodded, sketching their characters on a practice paper. He was distractedly playing with the golden chain around his neck. A present he had gotten from his mother years ago. A little golden bird was hanging from the chain.

“But Yeosang already is an elf, you should choose something different,” Wooyoung pointed out. He was writing down different puzzles for them to solve during their gameplay. “I think a minotaur would suit you better…”

“I was a minotaur in our previous campaign. I wanted to switch it up,” Jongho complained, but he did settle for a minotaur again. “I’m changing my class though; no way in hell will I play as a tank again.”

“Fine with me,” Seonghwa told him, searching through their character sheets for the first three chapters of the campaign. “Hey, has anyone seen the new guidebook?” he asked, trying not to sound too panicked.

“Oh, you mean this?” San’s voice came from behind them. He held the guidebook, reading through it with a teasing smile. “I didn’t think you guys would _still_ play this nerd stuff.”

“Hey!” Wooyoung protested, pouting. San put the guidebook back down on the table, sitting down next to the Gryffindor. “You can join if you want to,” he offered shyly.

“Nah…” The ghost shook his head. “That one time was enough.” He scanned the puzzles and quizzes Wooyoung was writing down. “You know, you really should leave that to the Ravenclaws…” He laughed when Wooyoung scoffed, affronted, and tried to push him off the chair, only that San wasn’t corporeal so he fell right through him.

Jongho started laughing hysterically. Even Yeosang cracked a smile as he lifted his eyes up from his sketches.

“Guys! Shh!” Seonghwa shushed them, looking around bewildered, and hoped that Mr Do hadn’t heard them. Do Kyungsoo, the librarian, was easily bothered, always wearing a grimace and a disappointed look. “You need to quieten down.”

“Sorry, Woo, but those puzzles are shit,” San said honestly. “I could help you, though, if you’d like,” he offered, with a sweet smile, before Wooyoung could protest.

“Oh, uh,” Wooyoung stuttered, looking down at his sheet, where his clammy fingers twitched against the paper. He nodded his head, flustered. “Sure! That would be great.”

Seonghwa and Yeosang exchanged a look— _The Look_. 

It was a common occurrence whenever they hung out with Wooyoung and San, the former not subtle about his crush at all, and the latter painfully oblivious. It was established that San was a heartthrob, unaware of his own charms and tragic unavailability, but no one crushed on him like Wooyoung did. Seonghwa sometimes wondered if it possibly had grown into love over the years, he sincerely hoped not. It was a love bound to end in flames, heartbreak, and crying; and he knew that it would be his, Jongho, and Yeosang’s role to pick Wooyoung back up once he realized just how doomed he was for falling in love with a ghost.

The group worked in silence for a while, some chatter here and there to discuss their campaign, but mostly they were focused. Seonghwa believed they could finish it in peace, head over to the Great Hall for dinner, and lastly go to sleep early.

Their tranquil work atmosphere got disturbed as someone appeared behind them, making their presence noticeable by letting out a loud and dry _hah_!

Yeosang, who was the only one sitting at the opposite side of the table, with his back to the wall, looked up, the concentrated look on his face breaking within seconds. His eyes twitched and he pulled his lips into a thin line.

“What do you want?” he asked with a sharp tone.

“Did the little Ice King wake up on the wrong foot today?” the intruder finally spoke up, his tone playful and mocking. Song Mingi. Yeosang glared daggers at him, displeased at the use of the nickname Mingi had given him years ago. “I was only looking for this one book with my friend here, I didn’t know you guys held secret meetings to…” He looked down at their _Dungeons & Dragons _ materials scattered about. “What, in Merlin’s name, even is this?”

“None of your concern,” Seonghwa told him, tone snappy. He looked around the Library, waiting for Hongjoong to pop out any second to taunt them too.

“It’s that Muggle game I told you about,” Yunho answered his friend, unbothered by the tense atmosphere. “Where you basically have this whole world full of adventures and quests, with elves and minotaurs, and dragons… There’s magic and monsters. It’s a lot of fun!”

Mingi eyed them, his gaze fell on the sketches Yeosang had been doing, and his frown deepened. “That’s dumb.”

“No, _you_ are dumb,” Jongho countered weakly.

“Marvelous, Jongho!” San exclaimed encouragingly, clapping his hands in favor of his Slytherin protégé. 

“I don’t understand why you would play a game of something you’re doing on a daily—sort of.”

“Well, you don’t have to understand it,” Wooyoung told him. “Now get your damn book and piss off!”

Mingi rolled his eyes, but thankfully Yunho grabbed him by his shoulders to guide him past them towards a row of bookshelves dedicated to _Divination & Arithmancy_. 

Seonghwa exhaled, rolling his shoulders repeatedly to let go some of that tension. At least Hongjoong had not appeared to make matters worse. _Just one more week_ , he told himself and glanced out of the window in the far distance, where he knew the Quidditch pitch could be spotted from.

“Thank _god_ they’re leaving,” Wooyoung gritted out. “It’s so sad that I have to hate Yunho just because he hangs out with them. Enemy by association.” He sighed dramatically, eyeing the tall Gryffindor as he disappear behind a shelf. “He is kind of pretty.”

Seonghwa let out a loud and awkward laugh, scratching his neck. He glanced at San, who was watching Wooyoung attentively. Yeosang kept sketching, but his lips twitched.

“That’s your default thought for every person you meet,” Jongho just said, dryly.

Wooyoung looked at the Slytherin, a grin forming. “But not for you. Aha!” He reached out his hand to high five Yeosang.

“Nope.” The Ravenclaw shook his head.

Wooyoung moved his palm to Seonghwa, who was about to be as stern as Yeosang, but the puppy eyes Wooyoung sent him were devastating, so he returned the high five.

“Heh.”

“Don’t look so proud of yourself, we all know Seonghwa pity high fived you,” Jongho told him, starting to pack up his things. “Also, if we don’t rush, we won’t make it for dinner.”

Hurriedly, the boys started to clean up their table, stacking their campaign papers, which then were shoved hastily inside a folder (“ _Careful_!” Yeosang hissed), and left the Library around ten minutes later. 

The castle’s corridors were fairly empty around this time, everyone either in the Great Hall or already in their dorms. “No running!” Mr Do reminded them from where he was closing up the Library.

**~*~**

The afternoon sun stood low over the Forbidden Forest, the mist hanging between the trees was a beautiful golden in the sunlight. It made the forest appear like something magical from a children’s book and not the terrifying home of the unknown.

The students reunited near the Groundskeeper’s hut, where Professor Namjoon lived, and waited for the lesson to start. Seonghwa stood with Yeosang and Wooyoung, huddled together to shield themselves from the cold. A few feet away from them stood the Hufflepuffs, their backs turned on them. 

Seonghwa adored _Care of Magical Creatures_ , but having to share the class with Hongjoong and Mingi took away a great deal of fun and excitement. 

“Sending out my yearly prayer that we won’t study thestrals this year,” Wooyoung muttered, shivering as he eyed the path that led to a clearing in the forest where Hogwarts’s thestrals had their home.

“You’re aware that we will study them eventually,” Yeosang pointed out, but he squeezed his friend’s elbow briefly in comfort.

The Gryffindor sighed. “Let me live in ignorance.”

Professor Namjoon appeared then, tall and friendly, holding several bags containing something, and he nodded at his students to follow him. They obeyed, an excited clamour falling over them as they walked through the huge castle grounds down to the Great Lake, the water was shimmering beautifully. 

“I am sure you all know some of the creatures living in this lake?” the professor spoke up once they stood by the shores, all of them with their black school robes swirling around their bodies like they were some deadly angels. “Today we will be learning about the scaly lurkers, also known as crockarks. Terrible crossover between a crocodile and a shark and something unidentified still; but their younglings are fairly friendly and live by the shores.” Seonghwa and Yeosang exchanged an excited look, whereas Wooyoung had his lips pulled together into a thin line. “I have brought fresh meat for you to lure them in and feed the scaly lurkers with. I want you to study the texture of their scales, their teeth, and how they eat. Then read up on the crockarks’s chapter and write a report for the next class,” Professor Namjoon told them, gaining a few scattered hums of agreement. Then he clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Please go in groups of five, these younglings are quite big!”

To the misfortune of Seonghwa, they got paired together with Hongjoong and Mingi to explore the creature lurking by the shores. The five of them grabbed one of the bags Professor Namjoon handed them and walked to stand close to the dark waters. The hesitance in between the group was nearly palpable, and Seonghwa finally stepped forward, reaching inside the meat bag to retrieve a huge chunk.

He pointed his wand at his shoes and trousers to cast an impermeability spell on them, then he walked into the waters, until the coldness reached his knees. He dropped the meat a few feet away from him and waited patiently. Yeosang joined him, crouching slightly to stare at the still unmoving waters.

“Ugh, this is the worst,” Hongjoong muttered as he walked into the lake, holding a smaller chunk of meat, and stood beside Seonghwa. He turned around to look at Mingi, who hadn’t moved and only stared silently. “Are you sure you don’t want to feed these things?”

“You know I don’t,” Mingi replied, his voice was strained.

“Why is he not joining us?” Wooyoung asked from where he had positioned himself next to Yeosang, holding a piece of parchment and a feather, ready to take notes.

“None of your business,” Hongjoong told him and dumped the meat inside the lake, with a loud splashing sound it disappeared into the dark waters.

They waited and waited, but nothing happened, other students seemed to be facing the same problem. Seonghwa watched the smooth surface of the Great Lake, it was calm, almost peaceful looking—if it weren’t for his knowledge of what lived in it—and in the distance the small hills raised, Hogsmeade hidden somewhere between them.

“Professor, are you sure there are crockarks living here?” a student asked, her tone bordering on irritation.

“Can’t wait to get back inside,” Hongjoong mumbled under his breath.

Seonghwa shivered. He watched how the perfectly calm surface was disturbed as a harsh wind blew over it. It came from the hills by their right, where the ends of the Forbidden Forest stretched out on—far and wide—and the most unknown and terrifying creatures resided in.

“It is strange,” grumbled Professor Namjoon as he entered the Great Lake himself. He squinted, throwing out one of the meat chunks. “Perhaps it is best we leave and come back to this lesson later on. I still have some fire spewing parrots we could study.”

“I wish I had a fire spewing parrot,” Seonghwa said as he turned around to leave the water.

“Me too,” Yeosang agreed.

Hongjoong threw them a judgmental look, one single eyebrow raised, and he hurried over to Mingi, who looked pale and unwell, but he did move when Hongjoong grabbed the sleeve of his robes.

Professor Namjoon and most of the students had already crossed the small conglomeration of trees surrounding the Great Lake, their animated chatter vanishing and leaving behind only the whispers that the cold wind had brought.

“Um, guys?” Wooyoung called out, his voice thin.

Seonghwa and Yeosang turned around, both of them moving at the same time. The Gryffindor stood still in the Black Lake, the waters surrounding him tumultuous as it seemed that something was swimming around him. The usual playful look in his eyes was gone and instead they were filled with terror.

“ _Shit_!” Seonghwa moved to walk into the water, but someone stopped him, grabbing his wrist and yanking him back. 

“Don’t,” Hongjoong told him. “You have blood on your robes, if they get a taste of that, you’d—” He stopped in his words, almost as if he was choking on them, and dropped Seonghwa’s wrist abruptly. “Jeong!” he called out. “Come towards the shore, okay? They won’t hurt you, there’s enough meat in there for them.”

“I’ll get Professor Namjoon,” Mingi mumbled and jogged away.

Wooyoung scoffed. “As if I would listen to you!” He glanced at the moving silhouettes around him, swallowing thickly.

“He’s right, Woo,” Yeosang said, his voice strangely loud in the panicked filled and tense silence. “Move slowly towards us. They won’t harm you.”

Wooyoung stared at Yeosang, a silent conversation occurring between them, then the Ravenclaw moved towards the shore. 

“He shouldn’t—” Hongjoong started, apprehensive.

“It’s all right, he knows what he’s doing,” Seonghwa interrupted him.

Yeosang walked into the lake, the impermeability spell still at work, and he maintained steady eye contact with Wooyoung. Once the water reached his knees and he was only a few feet from his friend, he reached out his right hand towards Wooyoung, as he tightly held his wand with the other. 

“Come on, come with me,” he whispered, going for a soothing tone, but Seonghwa could hear the fear layered beneath.

“Mingi is back with Professor Namjoon,” commented Hongjoong, nodding at the two tall figures emerging from behind the trees.

“Oh, dear!” Professor Namjoon jogged over to them. He held a big bag of meat that he emptied a few feet away from Yeosang and Wooyoung to move the creatures’s attention away, then he submerged himself too. “Mr Jeong. Mr Kang. Quick!” He ushered them to the shore, delicately pulling at Wooyoung’s arm to make him move.

Once everyone was safely away from the lake, Professor Namjoon allowed Wooyoung to skip out the rest of the lesson, asking Yeosang to accompany him to the Hospital Wing.

“Tell Madam Eunji she should give him something strong against the shock, yeah?” the professor said, nodding, and clapped Yeosang on the shoulder in a way that was meant to be reassuring. Professor Namjoon turned his gaze on Seonghwa, Hongjoong, and Mingi, an apologetic smile stretching out on his face. “I apologize for this, er, altercation. This isn’t how the crockarks usually behave, or any of the lake creatures. They’ve grown fairly peaceful over the years, used to the humans around…” He shook his head, perplexed. “Well, let’s get going, shall we?” 

The three boys hummed and began following their professor through the open field to a small, fenced pasture. All students were already reunited there, continuing the improvised lesson. 

“You three can team up to finish up the report on the fire spewing parrots, and share it with Mr Jeong and Mr Kang!” Professor Namjoon walked off after those words, to check up on the rest of his class.

Seonghwa was silent for a moment, clenching his jaw. _Oh, this is just fucking great_ , he thought to himself and then finally looked at his Hufflepuff groupmates. He smiled warily, the smile did not reach his eyes and looked faker than ever.

“Terrific,” he said, with long strides he walked over to one of the parrots.

“We’re not thrilled either, Park,” promised him Hongjoong. “You know, I was thinking,” he continued once he stood by Seonghwa, petting the parrot delicately, “maybe you should go back to those crockarks…”

Seonghwa tried not to give in, to ignore the taunt and focus on the creature in front of him—count the feathers, study the fire spewing mechanisms, understand their habits—but the infuriating smirk Hongjoong wore was too tantalizing.

“Why is that?” he asked, through gritted teeth.

“Seeing as you’re toothless, perhaps those crocodile-sharks could lend you some,” Hongjoong told him. Mingi snorted, high fiving his friend.

“Ha ha, you’re not clever at all,” Seonghwa spat out, glaring at the Hufflepuff.

“Ha ha ha,” the parrot echoed, its little black eyes fixated on Seonghwa. “Ha ha ha!”

Hongjoong grinned. “The parrot agrees, this is clearly a win for me.”

Seonghwa held his wand tightly; _remember you’re a Prefect_ , he told himself as a mantra, _you can hex him later when there’s no professor around_.

Mingi nodded his head at where Seonghwa was clutching his wand, hidden away from the eyes of Professor Namjoon. “Aw, what are you going to do?” he asked.

Hongjoong laughed.

Seonghwa bit his lower lip, thinking of an easy hex, and quietly muttered it under his breath, taking pleasure when both Hufflepuffs started hiccuping loudly.

“You— _fucking_ —asshole,” Hongjoong said in between hiccups. “Undo it,” he demanded, his ears becoming crimson red.

Seonghwa shook his head, smiling sweetly. “Class has finished, sorry,” he said, putting away his wand and grabbing one of the reports Professor Namjoon was handing out. “I must head to the castle!” he called out over his shoulder as he skipped away, leaving behind a protesting Hongjoong and an irritated Mingi.

He laughed to himself as he crossed the big wooden door of the castle, the Entrance Hall filled with alumni walking about. They had a few free hours before dinner commenced, so he hoped he could convince Wooyoung and Yeosang to plan some pranks on the Hufflepuffs. He was tired of their incessant disturbance and interference, Seonghwa needed them to back off for a while. 

He headed to the Hospital Wing, passing by a small group of Slytherins, Jongho stood amidst them. Seonghwa stopped, frowning at the familiarity of the scene. Except all those years ago it had been a Gryffindor surrounded by Slytherins.

“Jongho?” he called out.

Jongho raised his head, his eyes frightened. “Oh, hey…”

“What’s going on?” he asked, walking up to the group. The Slytherins parted like the Red Sea to let Seonghwa through. Jongho stood in the middle, a guilty and distressed look on his face. He held his wand loosely.

“I-I’m not sure,” Jongho stuttered, showing his left arm, where a deep cut was forming. “I wanted to-to show them t-this spell for ephemeral tattoos, b-but…” He swallowed, balling his hand into a fist as he tapped his wand against the cut and muttered a healing spell. “I doesn’t work… It just doesn’t work.”

“I’ve tried to heal him, too, but it didn’t do anything,” Felix piped up, a slight tremble to his voice.

“Yes, nothing seems to work,” muttered Kwon Eunbin, another one of Jongho’s closer housemates.

Seonghwa grabbed Jongho’s arm to inspect it. “Why didn’t you go to Madame Eunji?” he asked, bewildered. Blood was seeping out of the wound, it wasn’t big, but it seemed to be deep.

“Because…” Jongho swallowed, his eyes moving to look at the floor. “Look at it, it’s not normal.”

Seonghwa looked down as well. By Jongho’s shoes there was a small pool of black liquid, the blood that was dripping down from his arm and falling onto the stone tiles was turning black. Jongho was right, _this_ _wasn’t_ _normal_.

Seonghwa cleared his throat, trying to recompose himself. “Still, we need Madame Eunji to see this. Who knows what might happen if you let this get infected or lose too much blood.”

Jongho bit his lower lip, but nodded his head. “Okay.”

“Come on,” Seonghwa said and softly grabbed his friend’s shoulders to guide him to the Hospital Wing. “Yeosang and Wooyoung are there as well. We can discuss _Dungeon & Dragons _there until dinner.”

Jongho smiled weakly. “Okay,” he repeated.

Seonghwa eyed him worriedly, thinking back to what San had said, about the strange nightmares the Slyhterin appeared to be having. Was it perhaps connected? He shook his head, not wanting to read too much into it.

Madame Eunji didn’t waste any time and threw herself at Jongho, tending to his wound. There was a delicate frown shadowing her face, but she didn’t speak of the trail of black blood that Jongho was leaving on the tiled floor of the Hospital Wing, she only made sure the injury was properly disinfected and bandaged up, giving the Slytherin a potion to make the healing process speed up.

Once she was done, though, she turned to give Jongho a searching look. “Mr Choi, I must ask of you to go see Headmistress Min,” she told him. “Tell her the same you’ve told me.”

Jongho nodded his head, a pout appearing as he had to leave his friends.

“We will wait for you, Jongho,” Wooyoung promised him.

“Yes, there’s enough place on this bed for you,” Yeosang added.

Madame Eunji rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a playground,” she scolded them, but there was a warm smile gracing her features. 

“But I was injured, I have the right to rest here,” Wooyoung complained. “And my friends are here to aid me in these difficult times—”

“Oh, shut up, Wooyoung,” Seonghwa shushed him, laughter spilling out of his mouth. The gruesome images of Jongho’s injury and dark blood slowly fading out of his mind. Headmistress Min would know what to do; _Jongho is going to be alright_ , he believed firmly.

“I must agree with Mr Park,” Madame Eunji said and returned to attend the only other patient in the Hospital Wing, some sixth year Slytherin that had burned herself.

“Come join,” Yesoang beckoned Seonghwa over to lay down on the bed together with the two of them. He did, snuggling himself close Wooyoung’s free side. 

They stayed like that until Jongho returned, a bit shaken, but he smiled when he was sandwiched between Wooyoung and Yesoang, the latter playing with his hair in a soothing way.

“What did the headmistress say?” Seonghwa wondered.

Jongho sighed. “She’ll have me under observation.” Seonghwa thought about the nightmares, but he held himself back from asking. He’d wait for Jongho to bring it up on his own. “I don’t wanna talk about this. Can we talk about our _Dungeon & Dragons _ campaign instead?” His friends hummed in agreement and the four of them fell into a comfortable and excited conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think ^^  
> 


	3. Hogsmeade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg thank you for 83 kudos 🥰 and ofc the lovely comments ily!!!💛
> 
> I forgot to mention in the starting notes that English isn't my native language and I don't have a beta! If there are any grammatical errors or weirdly structured sentences, that is the reason,, so please ignore them dskhds

It had rained all day long, making the air crisp and smelling heavenly. 

Seonghwa smiled as he inhaled deeply, standing in the middle of the oval Quidditch pitch with his arms extended. He was in his Captain uniform already, waiting for everyone else to join him. Up on the stands surrounding the stadium, were a bunch of students reunited to watch the tryouts.

Seonghwa searched in the masses until he found Wooyoung and Jongho, sitting separated from the bigger crowd. The crowd seemed to mostly be made out of admirers of the team, but Seonghwa kept finding himself scanning them, in case a certain Hufflepuff Prefect and Captain found himself in between them, there to spy on Seonghwa, or possibly, ruin the tryouts.

“We’ve got a few promising ones,” Yeosang commented when he joined Seonghwa out on the field.

Seonghwa hummed, eyeing his friend. “How does it feel to be back in the uniform?”

Yeosang shrugged. “I’ll see,” he answered, his eyes falling on the crowd of admirers too. He looked away quickly, biting his bottom lip anxiously.

Changbin walked up to them, his bat in hand. He had been one of the Beaters the previous two years. Of course, Yeeun and Yeonjun were in between the crowd of Ravenclaws slowly appearing on the field too. Yeosang groaned when he spotted his younger brother, Taehyun, walk towards them with an overly excited smile, accompanied by two friends, both just as young and skinny looking.

Seonghwa bit the inside of his cheek. They didn’t look like they’d endure even five minutes up in the air. Yeosang seemed to think so too.

“Well,” Seonghwa said once everyone was standing in a circle around him. “Last year we suffered some losses,” he said, looking at Changbin and Yeeun, who both had fallen sick with a terrible sickness—like 60% of the student body. “But we all know that the cup should’ve been ours. This year, it _will_ be ours!” A few people shouted in agreement. 

“You realize these are tryouts, we’re not going to play,” Changbin mumbled, Seonghwa glared at him.

“Just because you were in the team last year, doesn’t assure you a place this year… I’m always here for new talents. Show me what you’ve got!” He finished in a rush, before he got carried away.

Yeeun started clapping awkwardly, the rest slowly joining in.

“You really need to work on your speeches, man,” Changbin told him.

“This is my first day as a Captain. Give me a break!” He glowered at the Beater. “All right, everyone trying out as Chasers please ready yourselves. I want you to try shooting three goals whilst I defend them.”

Out of the twelve different students that had presented themselves to become Chasers, only two of them managed to score a few points, and they both had been part of the team the past few years. Yeonjun and a seventh year girl named Ha Sooyoung—although mostly everyone knew her as Yves. One third year student had called Seonghwa’s attention though. She had been quick and aggressive, lacking some finesse, but with some training she could become quite the menace.

Seonghwa landed, addressing her. “What was your name again?”

“Choi Yerim,” she told him, fearless.

“You’re a really good flyer,” he complimented her. She smiled then, her tough façade breaking.

“Thank you, my girlfriend convinced me to tryout.” She pointed at someone in the crowd, then she moved with the rest of Chasers to wait as the tryouts continued.

“Next group, Seekers and Beaters,” Seonghwa announced.

An hour later the Ravenclaw Quidditch team consisted mostly of the same players as the previous years, with the exception of a new Chaser and Seeker. Seonghwa didn’t follow his team and the disappointed blob of rejects to the showers, instead he stayed out on the field, watching the gray and darkening sky. He still could throw in half an hour before it would be too dark to play.

“Aren’t you coming?” Yeosang asked, eyebrows raised.

Seonghwa shook his head. “I’ll train some more.”

Yeosang pressed his lips together disapprovingly. “Don’t over do it,” he told him in a gentle tone before he left.

“Don’t worry. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Seonghwa bewitched the Quaffle to fly on its own. Then he mounted his broom and pushed himself off into the sky, the cold and harsh wind caressing his skin like a whiplash. His nose was cold and he barely felt it, but he kept going, defending the golden hoops. It wasn’t really that hard since a bewitched Quaffle only was about a third of a threat compared to an actual Chaser. 

Sadly, Seonghwa was forced to land and put a stop to his practice half an hour later, when the downpour was unleashed. He grabbed the chest, mumbled an _Accio Quaffle_ , and hurriedly made his way over to the changing rooms. Once he was inside he stored away all Quidditch equipment and changed into his school robes again. 

When he exited the pitch, he groaned inwardly. He had nothing to protect himself from the heavy rain. He counted to three before he began sprinting up to the castle, using his robes’s hood to shield himself. 

The darkness swallowed nearly everything around him, the castle’s lights were a blurred blob in the distance, but somehow Seonghwa still noticed the rather big and suspicious shadow moving down by the Groundskeeper’s hut. 

Seonghwa faltered in his steps, nearly crashing onto the floor. He stopped to stare at where he had seen the shadow, squinting as he tried to discern something in the rain and darkness, but it was useless. With a shudder he began his light jog towards the castle again, except that there was someone a few feet in front of him, whom he hadn’t seen, and they ended up colliding into each other.

They went down in a mess on limbs and robes, Seonghwa nearly getting a taste of mud.

“ _Fuck_ ,” the person muttered at the same time as Seonghwa groaned out a heartfelt, “ _Oof_.”

After they successfully untangled from one another other and were standing up again, their eyes locked. 

Hongjoong’s red hair was plastered to his forehead, water cascading down the sides of his face. His brown eyes, for once, weren’t filled with arrogance or fury, rather he looked slightly concerned and afraid. He pulled his mouth into a disdainful scowl.

“Of course it’s you, Park,” he grumbled. “What are you even doing out here so late?”

“Contrary to you, I have a legitimate excuse. Quidditch practice.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, staring down at the Hufflepuff with a grimace. Somehow he felt mildly disappointed that Hongjoong hadn’t been at the Ravenclaw Quidditch tryouts.

Hongjoong opened his mouth for a comeback, but his eyes moved to somewhere behind Seonghwa, and he snapped it shut, his eyes widened fractionally.

“Well, you shouldn’t be out here,” was all he said, his tone snappy, but Seonghwa detected the apprehension layered beneath. 

“As if you could tell me what to do.”

Hongjoong hummed, distractedly, brushed past Seonghwa, shouldering him harshly, and disappeared into the night.

“Hey! Kim!” Seonghwa called after him, turning around and taking a few steps, trying to find the Hufflepuff. “You’re not supposed to be out here!” He was met with silence, only the pouring rain surrounded him. Seonghwa scoffed. “Fine, then. Five points from Hufflepuff for leaving the castle unauthorized after sundown!” he yelled and turned his back to where the Hufflepuff had disappeared. Hongjoong wasn’t his problem, he could do whatever he wanted.

For a moment Seonghwa stood still in the darkness, and there was something _unfamiliar_ in the way the rain felt on his skin. It was gone within seconds and he followed the trail up to the castle with an uneasy mind.

Once he was dry and in the Great Hall, he told Yeosang and Wooyoung about bumping into Hongjoong, they shared his suspiciousness.

“I’ve noticed Song’s missing from dinner too,” Yeosang pointed out, turning around so he could stare at the Hufflepuff table. “Though I came in late, maybe he already ate…”

“Guys,” Wooyoung hissed and reached out over the table to grab Seonghwa’s forearm, his grip tight. “Don’t look, but Kim and Song just entered. They look soaked and… angry? Bewildered? I don’t know. Not good.”

Despite Wooyoung’s words, Seonghwa turned around in his seat to stare at the two Hufflepuffs, now sitting at their table and barely looking at one another. They were silently eating, barely paying attention to their surroundings—even less all the prying eyes set on them. Yunho stood up from the Gryffindor table and marched over to them, it seemed as though he was scolding them in a whispered tone.

“Very suspicious,” Wooyoung said.

“What is?” San asked popping up behind Wooyoung, who let out a surprised yell, blindly swinging his fists at San, obviously passing straight through him. “The fact that your first reaction is to punch me, is hilarious and adorable.”

“By Merlin, San, you have to stop sneaking up on me,” Wooyoung scolded the ghost, placing his hand on his racing heart. “I won’t live long like this.”

San smiled wonderfully, his eyes turning into crescents. “Maybe that’s my plan. So you can join me here for eternity.”

Yeosang choked on his almond milk, coughing wildly as he stared at Seonghwa with wide eyes. San was oblivious as ever. _The bastard_ , Seonghwa thought and looked at Wooyoung, who was rendered speechless and frozen in place.

“Who—” the Gryffindor began to say. “Who would want that? Psh, you’re annoying!”

San smiled brilliantly at Wooyoung before he addressed the Ravenclaws. “Anyway, what were you guys talking about?” he questioned.

They exchanged a look, debating whether this was big enough to include the ghost in their suspicions or if they should just let it go. Seonghwa, still half turned around, glanced over at the Hufflepuff table, surprised to find Hongjoong staring at him with a scowl. Yunho was talking to Mingi in a hushed and worried voice.

“So you know about our rivalry with certain Hufflepuffs,” Seonghwa began, glancing at San, who nodded.

“ _Everyone_ knows.”

“Well, I caught Hongjoong wandering outside the castle after sundown.”

“Ah.” San nodded, waiting for more. “Did he do something or…?”

“Um, no. But it’s weird.”

San rolled his eyes. “He could’ve just gone for a walk, visit Professor Namjoon, hook up with someone… There are _endless_ possibilities.”

“There’s a downpour,” Yeosang pointed out, but he seemed to consider the ghost’s words.

“I still think that he was up to something,” Seonghwa told them, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

“We know,” Wooyoung muttered. “Which is why we will support you and discover what secret that little badger might hide,” he promised.

**~*~**

The first Hogsmeade trip was scheduled for October 2nd. That weekend it rained heavily, a thunderstorm growing in the horizon. Seonghwa and his friends were more than excited, mostly because they absolutely loved Hogsmeade’s infamous inn, _The Three Broomsticks_ , but they had another cause for the brimming excitement and conspiratolly glances they exchanged as they walked towards the small town.

They had gone for way too long now without playing a major prank on the Hufflepuffs, caught up in the arduous and difficult life of being fitth years; plus Quidditch practice was very fatiguing as a Captain. The Hufflepuffs, on the other hand, had played a prank just a couple of days ago, sending Seonghwa and Yeosang quite the embarrassing howlers. Seonghwa had burned them immediately before they could get any worse, glancing angrily at the Hufflepuff table. Yeosang had simply stared with wide eyes at his breakfast plate, not eating anything until dinner arrived, the whole day overly anxious and jerky. 

As retaliation, Wooyoung and Seonghwa had met two nights ago to paint crude drawings on top of the Hufflepuff trophy and team photograph of the previous year, snickering the next morning when more than one person had called Hongjoong ‘strawberry head’. It wasn’t by far the worst insult, but it was amusing to see the Hufflepuff Prefect flustered and frustrated.

 _For someone his size he sure has a lot of pent up anger_ , Seonghwa thought to himself.

“So, first on the list: _Zonko’s Joke Shop_ ,” Wooyoung said, grinning maniacally. “Boy, I can’t wait. This is going to be a great weekend.”

“Yes.” Seonghwa sighed in bliss, imagining what pranks they could pull off. “ _Honeydukes_ , yes or no?”

Yeosang shot him a dramatic look. “Don’t put _Honeydukes_ and _no_ in the same sentence ever again,” he said, affronted.

Seonghwa laughed. “All right, so _Honeydukes_ , a definite yes.” He tapped his chin, deep in thought. “I might have to do a quick trip to _Spintwitches Sporting Needs_ and buy some wax for my broomstick, it’s starting to leave me really bad calluses.”

“Or you could buy gloves, you know?” Yeosang pointed out.

“Not enough money for that,” he told him, feeling both of his friends’s attention on him; the atmosphere changing quickly, with a snap.

He hadn’t told them, yet, about his father’s construction company closing down for good over the summer. They had known that there had been struggles and that Seonghwa had had to pick up a job so he could pay for his Hogwarts supplies, but he didn’t want them to worry unnecessarily, so he had kept quiet. Until now.

“Oh.” Wooyoung sighed, grimacing. “I’m sorry.”

“Did your father lose his company?” Yeosang asked directly.

Seonghwa nodded, shrugging uncomfortably. He didn’t want to talk about it, which his friends respected.

“Butterbeer is on me today,” Wooyoung announced, clapping a hand on the Prefect’s shoulder. 

They reached the outer lining of Hogsmeade, catching up with the rest of Hogwarts students. One particular conversation caught Seonghwa’s attention.

“—heard the _Shrieking Shack_ is supposedly haunted again,” a Slytherin was commenting, waggling her eyebrows. 

Her Gryffindor friend gave her a doubtful look. “Where have you heard that nonsense?” 

“A confidential but trustworthy source. I’m telling you, last weekend someone heard terrible screaming and howling from the shack.”

“I doubt that…” the Gryffindor frowned, shaking her head.

“They recorded it, I can show it to you once we’re back in the castle.”

Wooyoung, who had paid attention to the conversation as well, shook his head with an eye roll. “Do they not know that it was all because of a werewolf?” he asked, turning to look at his Ravenclaw friends. “San told me. Turns out a werewolf always went there to shift during the full moon.”

“Really?” Yeosang hummed. “That’s quite smart.”

“San also told me there’s a secret pathway from Hogwarts to the _Shrieking Shack_ ,” Wooyoung further commented, a wicked grin on his face.

“You’re full of shit,” Yeosang said with a laugh. “As if you had the balls to go to the shack on a full moon’s night.”

“I’ll dare you! We go during the following full moon!”

Yeosang looked his friend over, pulling a face as he thought it over. “What’s in it for me? Aside from seeing you scream, and laugh at you?”

Wooyoung pouted. “Whoever gets scared first buys a round of butterbeers on the Hogsmeade trip following it.”

“Agreed.” They shook their hands.

Wooyoung turned to look at Seonghwa, opening his mouth to ask if he’d like to join, but the Prefect shook his head. “I’ve got better things to do during a full moon night. Like _sleeping_.”

They stopped in front of _Zonko’s Joke Shop_ , a small crowd of students was already piling up inside. Seonghwa pushed the door open with his shoulder, the three of them squeezing themselves into the small shop. Wooyoung made a beeline for a shelf filled with hair dye colors, picking out a turquoise one, a sly grin on his face.

“Would be a shame if Hongjoong’s precious red hair was to be ruined,” he said, shaking the dye bottle.

“Grab a few, it’s always good to stock up on them,” Seonghwa told him. He glanced around the shop, trying to find inspiration. “How about that fake fluxweed that explodes cauldrons?”

Wooyoung nodded his head. “Don’t they have those newly imported parchments with the spelling errors?”

Yeosang cocked his head curiously. “Huh?”

“They make you believe you wrote everything perfectly and as soon as you roll it up, it’s infested with grammatical errors!” he explained, delighted. “If we’re lucky they might have dysfunctional quills too! Terrible combination!” 

Seonghwa was pushing himself through the crowded shop, searching for the objects Wooyoung was listing him, already carrying more than he could. He passed by a shelf full of different potions that read terrifying labels such as: _Nosehair Grower_ , _Yellow Teeth Inducer_ , _Short Term Love Potion_ , _Everything Will Taste Like Rotten Eggs!_ , _Breathe Fire Like A Dragon_ … Seonghwa licked his lips, calculating in his head how many of these he could afford. He reached out his hand to grab one, just so he could check out the price, but someone bumped into his shoulder violently, making him almost drop the vial.

“Sorry, didn’t see you there,” said a familiar voice. “Ah, it’s just you, Park.” Hongjoong shot him a disdainful look, then his eyes fell onto the potion Seonghwa was holding, and his facial expression suddenly changed. A frown appeared, then he eyed Seonghwa curiously, until he finally smirked. “A love potion?” he asked.

Seonghwa looked down at what he was holding and felt himself blush stupidly. He put the vial back abruptly. “N-No!”

“Is your life so pathetic that you need a love potion to have someone date you?” Hongjoong asked, leaning against the shelf next to the potions, which was filled with lollipops that contained disgusting creatures in the center.

“Shut up! I was just checking the price,” he defended himself, staring at the other vials and wishing Hongjoong would just leave.

“Yeah, right!” The Hufflepuff laughed mockingly, then his eyes fell onto the different objects Seonghwa was holding. “I hope those aren’t going to be used on me…”

“No, they’re for my parents,” Seonghwa told him, smiling fakely at him. “They absolutely _love_ magical hair dye!”

Hongjoong rolled his eyes. “So, who is the unlucky lady, huh?” he asked then, appearing uninterested, and picked out a lollipop with a cockroach inside. He scrunched up his nose and put it back. He looked up at Seonghwa again, raising his eyebrows as he expected an answer. “Oh, you’re too shy to tell me?” He picked out another lollipop to inspect.

“I mean, honestly, I don’t see how that’s any of your concern,” Seonghwa said, “Besides, if anything, it would be an unlucky gentleman.”

“Huh?” Hongjoong’s face twitched and he clumsily dropped the lollipop; he stared at Seonghwa with surprise. He coughed awkwardly once he realized he was staring, then crouched to pick up the dropped object. “W-well then, who is the unlucky… gentleman?”

“None of your _fucking_ business!” Wooyoung answered in stead of Seonghwa, grabbing several vials as he hissed at the Hufflepuff. “Come on, Hwa, we’re paying. Yeosang’s growing restless.” Seonghwa cursed and with one last glance at Hongjoong he walked away with his friend. 

At the counter, Wooyoung gave him a once over with his eyes squinted, inspecting him as he tried to understand something.

“So, why were you guys talking about, uh, ‘unlucky gentlemen’, of all things?” Wooyoung finally asked.

“I was checking out the price of these prank potions and grabbed one that, as it seems, was a love potion. He caught me holding that and well…” He shrugged one shoulder. For some reason the whole exchange had been incredibly awkward, rather than their usual mean jabs.

“He seemed oddly interested in your love life,” the Gryffindor pointed out, one single eyebrow raised as he looked at Seonghwa. “You know why that might be?”

“What are you trying to imply?” Seonghwa asked, feeling his skin prickle uncomfortably. 

Wooyoung pulled down the corners of his mouth briefly and gestured his hand in the air in form of explanation. “ _You know_.”

“No, I don’t,” he lied. He knew and he didn’t like this conspiracy, especially not coming from his own friend.

“Rumor has it, he actually had a bit of a crush on you during third year,” Wooyoung told him in a singsong voice.

Seonghwa whipped his head around to look at his friend, nearly breaking his neck. “ _What_?!” He could feel his ears grow warm—way too warm. “Who goes around spilling that-that nonsense?”

“I think San told me, who got it from another ghost, who overheard Hongjoong and Yunho talking.”

“San is _full_ of bullshit!” he claimed, trying to calm himself. “Hongjoong hates me, and I hate him.”

Wooyoung hummed noncommittally.

After paying and reuniting with Yeosang, the three finished up their shopping around Hogsmeade and finally headed over to _The Three Broomsticks_. The contrast of temperatures inside the inn and on the streets was stark.

“Brr.” Yeosang shivered violently.

“Don’t tell me you’re still cold?” Wooyoung asked him, reproachful as he eyed his own scarf around Yeosang’s neck.

“No, just… general goosebumps,” he muttered in reply. 

“You guys look for a seat, I’ll order us a round of butterbeer,” Wooyoung told them and made his way over to the counter.

 _The Three Broomsticks_ was packed, even more so around this time of the year—with Hogwarts’s students bringing life into Hogsmeade—but in between the mass of bodies, Seonghwa spotted Jongho. He loosely grabbed Yeosang’s wrist and dragged him over to their Slytherin friend, who was together with two housemates of his.

“Jongho, my sweet child,” Yeosang mumbled, sitting down next to him, and snuggled up to him. “Please warm me up.”

“Was the shopping successful?” Jongho asked as he embraced Yeosang, running his hand over the Ravenclaw’s back.

“Yeah, I would say so,” Seonghwa replied with a grin. He sat down opposite of Jongho and Yeosang, with his back towards the inn. He stretched out his legs and rolled his shoulders, a yawn escaping him. “I’m so incredibly tired, I could fall asleep right here.”

“I feel you,” Felix agreed, stretching out his arms as he yawned, too. Then he startled, his eyes widening. “ _Shit_! I just remembered I have to buy a new cauldron!” He sprung out of his seat.

“Dude, it’s been like a month…” the other Slytherin said, shaking their head.

“Well, I’m a master at exploding cauldrons,” Felix countered, punching his friend lightly. “You coming?”

“Sure.” The two Slytherins left after bidding their goodbyes.

Wooyoung appeared seconds later, precariously balancing three filled to the brim butterbeers. He set them down on the table, letting out a quiet _oof_ at the effort, and sat down next to Seonghwa. He took a huge gulp out of his mug, leaving on his upper lip a thin mustache out of foam. 

“You won’t believe who the _fuck_ I had the misfortune of encountering while ordering this.”

Yeosang sighed, his eyes following someone move around in the inn. “Let me guess? Kim and Song.”

Wooyoung nodded, rubbing the back of his hand over his upper lip to rid himself of the foam. “Annoying pair of pricks—the Hufflepuffs,” he muttered. “ _Oh, look, it’s the snake disguised as lion. Watch out that it doesn’t give you its poisonous bite,_ ” he mimicked their voices, rolling his eyes, but Seonghwa could see the hurt in them.

Yeosang straightened up, frowning heavily. “They said _that_ to you?”

“Yes, but it’s fine,” Wooyoung promised him. “It’s not as if they’re—Whatever.” He took another sip of his beer, drowning his sorrows in it. “This is how it goes between us, isn’t it?”

“No, that’s not fine.” Yeosang bit his lower lip, eyes still fixated on something in the inn, and then stood up abruptly. 

He looked so tiny in his big coat, with the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor scarves wrapped tightly around his neck and lower part of his face; his dark blonde hair was hidden underneath his light blue beanie. Really, the only visible thing on his face were his eyes, filled with determination and anger, his nose, and his lips, pulled into an angry scowl. 

“Yeosang! Wait!” Wooyoung called after him, standing up, too, but Yeosang already had made his way over to the other side of _The Three Broomsticks_ , where Hongjoong, Yunho, Mingi, and another Hufflepuff were seated at. “Shit, shit, shit,” he cursed under his breath as he followed his friend.

Seonghwa sprung up as well, but Jongho reached out his hand to hold him back.

“Let them sort it out,” he said quietly. “Yeosang will be fine, Wooyoung’s with him after all.”

Seonghwa let out a frustrated sigh, grabbed his butterbeer tightly, and sat down next to Jongho so he could watch the scene unfold. 

Yeosang seemed to be throwing a whole rant at the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindor. Fair enough, Yunho did look apologetic, blinking up at Wooyoung. Hongjoong had his eyes widened, shocked at Yeosang’s outburst. Mingi’s face was an apathetic mask, he had his head tilted as if he didn’t quite know what do think of the Ravenclaw. Wooyoung had his hands on Yeosang’s shoulders, seemingly trying to drag him away.

“God, I don’t know why he’s doing this,” Jongho commented. “He’s going to suffer so much later.”

“That may be true, but he would’ve felt incredibly guilty not doing this… And you know how guilt makes him feel,” Seonghwa said with a grimacing.

The Slytherin sighed, pushing a hand through his black air. “I wish it wouldn’t be so hard all the time.”

“Yeah, well, it is what it is.” He took a huge swing of his butterbeer, trying to soothe his nerves. “You reckon we should fetch them and head back to the castle?” he asked after a few seconds of unbearable silence.

“Yes.”

**~*~**

After the Hogsmeade ordeal, Yeosang spent a couple of days in a particular bad and anxious mood. Nervously biting his nails, the inside of his cheeks, and his lips. He was wearing his beanie inside the castle, which meant that he had probably felt too stressed and bad to shower and take care of himself.

On the fourth day, when Seonghwa woke up to get ready for classes, he found Yeosang’s bed empty. With a racing heart he leaped out of his bed, sprinting down the staircase to search the Ravenclaw common room. There were a couple of fourth years, but that was it. He exited the common room, through the entrance door, and left the Ravenclaw Tower. He ran down the hallway, thinking of where the nearest bathroom was, and brushed right past Boris the Bewildered. 

“Nice pajamas, Park!” a voice called out, but Seonghwa ignored them until they grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“Let go off me!” he shouted angrily, yanking his wrist free in a violent manner. Foreign to his usual gentleness, even when facing his nemesis.

Hongjoong blinked in surprise, not expecting the outburst. He held up his hands in defence. “Damn, Park; where’s the fire?”

Seonghwa, who had been about to keep searching for his friend, stopped in his tracks, whirling around to grab a fistful of Hongjoong’s robes. He pushed him towards the nearest wall, furiously glaring down at the Hufflepuff. A fruity scent wafted off of him, like apples or similar.

“Don’t _fucking_ test me,” he hissed, reaching his hand down towards his pajama’s pocket to retrieve his wand. He held it against Hongjoong’s neck. His brain felt like it was on fire, anger consumed him. “I’m not in the mood right now. Especially as this is mostly your fault.”

Hongjoong didn’t comment on that, but he thrashed his body, trying to free himself of Seonghwa’s grip. When he realized that Seonghwa wasn’t going to let go, he swallowed, and his eyes met the Ravenclaw’s.

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t put a spell on you right now,” Seonghwa said lowly, clenching his jaw.

Hongjoong squinted at him, angling his head higher so he could look down on Seonghwa. “There isn’t,” he simply said.

The seconds stretched out in between them. It was still early in the morning, most students only waking up now, but it was the sound of footsteps that cut through the tension building up in between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Seonghwa leaned back, shoving Hongjoong harshly against the wall and then raised his wand.

“ _Immobulus_ ,” he gritted through his teeth before he walked away. 

“Asshole!” Hongjoong yelled after him.

The footsteps came to a stop. “Seonghwa!” It was this voice that snapped him out of the strange rage induced veil that had enveloped his brain the past few minutes.

Yeosang stood by the end of the hallway, his pet Barn owl—Avis—perched on his forearm. Both of them cocked their heads at the unfolded scene. Avis let out a quiet screech, then she lifted up into the air to fly over to Seonghwa, where she landed on his shoulder. She pecked at his helix piercing. Yeosang, who was freshly showered and already dressed in his school robes, quickly made his way over to them, he shot an unreadable glance at Hongjoong, who was still lying on the floor, glaring at them.

Seonghwa let out a relieved laugh, moving his hand to pet Avis. “Where did you go?” he asked his friend.

“I woke early and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I decided to get ready. Then I went to check up on Avis in the Owlery,” Yeosang explained.

Before the Ravenclaws could continue their conversation, Hongjoong groaned loudly and shot them a pointed look.

Seonghwa sighed. “All right, fine.” He flicked his wand and muttered the counter spell. “Not a word, Kim,” he warned.

And Hongjoong didn’t, instead he simply ducked his head and walked away quickly.

“What did you do to him?” Yeosang asked with a laugh.

“Nothing. At least not anything out of the ordinary.”

Yeosang frowned, humming to himself, but then broke out into a shy smile.

“Sorry for being so off the whole week,” he apologized.

“Don’t worry. I’m glad you’re feeling better now,” Seonghwa told him sincerely, squeezing his shoulder.

“I’ll go leave Avis at the Owlery. Meet you down in the Great Hall?”

Seonghwa nodded in affirmation. 

**~*~**

**We wizardin!**

_October 14th, 10:37PM_

**Wooyoung**

San just invited me to a Halloween party

A GHOST Halloween party

**Jongho**

Did you say yes?!?!?!

**Wooyoung**

What do you think?

Of course I said yes

**Yeosang**

Sounds… exciting

Do you have to bring something?

**Wooyoung**

Not that I know of, but I’ll ask San tomorrow

**Seonghwa**

Nice

Do you have to dress up or just go as you are?

**Wooyoung**

Ughhhh I’ll ask him the details

I was too flustered and GAY to think about any of these Q’s

Sorry

**Jongho**

Nah, we’re used to it, it’s your default setting

**Seonghwa**

Dumb and gay

**Yeosang**

Isn’t that your default setting, too, _@seonghwa_

**Jongho**

911?

Yes, I’d like to report MURDER

**Seonghwa**

Shut up, Yeosang >:(

**Wooyoung**

What is THAT

>:(?????

**Jongho**

Emoticon

**Wooyoung**

I thought it was emoji??

**Yeosang**

Emojis are the evolution of emoticons

**Wooyoung**

Wow

Muggles are so creative

**Seonghwa**

Watch him stay awake all night to google emoticons

**Wooyoung**

Shhh

**Jongho**

Lmao

**Wooyoung**

You guys didn’t answer, though

Will you assist the ghost Halloween party?

**Jongho**

You didn’t even ask……….. but ok

**Yeosang**

I’ll come!

**Seonghwa**

Me too

**Wooyoung**

Yay! ^_^

**Seonghwa**

You learn quick

**Wooyoung**

∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

**Jongho**

OH NO BACKTRACK

**Wooyoung**

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**Jongho**

Nooooooooooo

**~*~**

_Potions_ was probably one of the worst classes to sit through. 

Not because Professor Shin Wonhee had a pendant for making terrible puns, or the unbearable humidity hanging in the classroom. It wasn’t even the fact that Seonghwa simply wasn’t that interested in the art of potion making. After spending the past four years blissfully sharing _Potions_ with Gryffindors, this year they had to switch it up and pair the Ravenclaws with the Hufflepuffs. 

What was even worse, Professor Shin had decided, as a fun little activity called teamwork, to make the pairs consisting of a student of each house, which would rotate every class; and of course Professor Shin was aware, like most professors, of the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff feud, so she often paired Seonghwa and Hongjoong together.

(She probably enjoyed watching them suffer.)

Seonghwa smiled fakely and turned his head around, slowly, to glance at the last row where Hongjoong was sitting, already looking back, a horrified expression crossing his face.

“Professor—” Hongjoong started, but Professor Shin tooted and shook her head.

“Shush, Mr Kim, I’ve already made up my mind!” She clapped her hands together. “Now, everyone, please move to sit with your partners!”

“I _will_ cry,” Yeosang muttered under his breath, shuffling over to where Mingi was. “This is by far the worst thing ever.”

“Acutely aware.”

Seonghwa unceremoniously dropped his belongings on his new table, making Hongjoong’s topple over.

“Watch what you’re doing!” the Hufflepuff fulminated and bent down to grab his things. “Can’t you behave normally for once?”

“Oh, _shush_ , _Mr Kim_ ,” Seonghwa told him off, imitating their professor. He squinted at the green board to read the instructions for the potion they were supposed to work on that day.

“ _Felix Felicis_ ,” Professor Shin said in an excited voice, “Now who can tell me what it is used for?” A Hufflepuff girl raised her hand in the air. “Yes, Miss Kim?”

“Also known as ‘Liquid Luck’, a drop of it and whatever it is that you set yourself out to accomplish, you actually will. It grants you literal luck,” Jungeun answered proudly. “But it can be extremely dangerous if you consume too much of it.”

“Excellent. Five points to Hufflepuff!” Professor Shin walked to the front of the classroom, watching her students work. “Whichever pair brews the perfect potion, may each keep a small vial for themselves. Now I know what you might think, keep it for the O.W.L.s, eh? But even _Felix Felicis_ won’t help you out if you don’t study! Plus, it is prohibited! You might get expelled for that.” Her words galvanized the students.

Hongjoong got out of his seat, quickly, and marched over to the cupboard to retrieve the necessary ingredients. He came back and dumped them on the table, apprehensively reading the instructions.

“Ashwinder egg… Horseradish, and heat it up,” he mumbled quietly under his breath.

“I’ll handle the Occamy eggshells,” Seonghwa said cheerfully, picking the item, but shot Hongjoong a weirded out look.

The Hufflepuff looked up, blinking at Seonghwa in surprise, as if he had forgotten he was there. “Ah, right, yes. You do that,” he said dismissively and returned to get the juice out of the squill bulb.

Seonghwa began grinding the eggshells, simultaneously watching the heat of the cauldron. It wasn’t as if he needed luck right now, Quidditch matches were still away and aside from that, there wasn’t really anything he could need luck for, as he has most things under control. But even Seonghwa couldn’t argue that being in possession of literal, liquid luck sounded rather powerful.

For whatever reason, Hongjoong seemed dead set on mastering this potion so he could win a vial for himself, either that or he needed an Outstanding in his _Potions_ ’s O.W.L.s. Maybe he was trying to get on Yunho’s level, who was Hogwarts’s known _Potions_ genius. 

Seonghwa watched him work, trying to figure out what his deal was. Hongjoong’s usual straight hair was now curly and frizzled due to the humidity and cauldron’s heat, and he kept pushing his hand through it. 

“Did you grind all Occamy eggshells?” Hongjoong asked with a desperate tone, whipping his head over to look at Seonghwa.

“Yup, all done.” He dumped them inside the cauldron all at once, taking pleasure in the frantic way Hongjoong started to stir it, checking up with the instructions. 

“You shouldn’t have done that!” He rolled up his sleeves hastily, reaching out to search blindly for the powdered rue. “If we lose this, Park, I swear by Merlin, I’ll—”

Seonghwa handed him the rue. “You will _what_?”

“Thanks,” he muttered and sprinkled some of the powder inside the cauldron. “I will…” He started stirring vigorously. “You’ll see,” he finished rather anticlimactic.

Seonghwa hummed, trying not to laugh at Hongjoong’s pathetic attempt to threaten him, and then swished his wand over the cauldron, muttering a quiet, “ _Felixempra_.”

“I was going to do that,” Hongjoong protested, glowering at him as he watched the liquid turn gold.

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, cry quietly, Hufflepuff. We’re done with it, aren’t we?”

“Yes, but it has to be perfectly—”

“Professor Shin?” he interrupted the Hufflepuff, reaching his hand in the air. “We are done with the _Felix Felicis_ ,” he announced.

“Ah, excellent!” she congratulated them and walked over to their table to gaze at their finished potion. Hongjoong had his arms crossed in front of his chest, nervously biting his bottom lip as he stared at her with apprehensive eyes. “Don’t look so spooked, Mr Kim. You two have done a fairly good job!” she told him, smiling warmly at him as she studied the golden liquid inside their cauldron. “Ten points to each of your houses!”

“P-Professor Shin?” a deep voice piped up, a slight tremble to it. “We, uh, we’re done, too,” Yeosang announced. 

Mingi stood behind him, his black hair was pushed out of his face that day, and so, when he raised his eyebrows in surprise, they wrinkled his forehead. He watched Yeosang attentively.

Yeosang’s shoulders were tense and he was staring at Professor Shin with an unreadable expression on his face, but Seonghwa knew that face. He was trying hard not to burst into tears or yell out, or crumble onto the floor to lie down and shelter himself from the world. Seonghwa frowned and tried to catch his friend’s gaze, to reassure him, but Yeosang was now resolutely staring down at his cauldron.

“We’re done as well,” another team called out.

“I’ll be right there. First let me check out Mr Kang and Mr Song’s _Felix Felicis_.” She gave them both ten points each for finalizing the task, before she walked off to the next students.

Seonghwa rushed over to Yeosang.

“I’m fine,” Yeosang told him before he even had a chance to open his mouth. 

“Why didn’t you—” Seonghwa began, addressing Mingi.

“It’s _fine_ , Seonghwa,” Yeosang interrupted him sharply, still glaring at the golden liquid. “You can go back to your table.”

“But—”

Yeosang looked up. “I wanted to, all right?” This stunned Seonghwa. Yeosang let out a sigh, his expression was blank and tired. “Can we talk about it afterwards?”

“Um, yes, of course.” Seonghwa glanced at Mingi, who held the passive and unbothered expression he always had when they were around. Once he was back at his table, Hongjoong raised his eyebrows at him. “ _Don’t_.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Hongjoong said. “I really wasn’t.”

Even if Seonghwa walked out of the _Potions_ classroom with a vial of ‘Liquid Luck’, he didn’t feel particularly lucky. Yeosang walked away in big strides, his shoulders hunched and his head lowered. Seonghwa bit his lip, searching for the tall Hufflepuff.

“Song!” he called out, jogging up to Mingi. Hongjoong, who stood next to him, gave Seonghwa a confused once over.

“What do you want?” Mingi asked, his deep voice uninterested.

“Why didn’t you call out for Professor Shin?” Seonghwa demanded to know.

Mingi was quiet for a moment, then he shrugged. “The little Ice King said he was going to do it.”

“I don’t believe you,” Seonghwa said bitterly. In truth, it _did_ sound a lot like something Yeosang would do, trying to prove himself in front of others so he didn’t feel as though he fell behind. Seonghwa clenched his fists. “You could’ve talked him out of it…”

Mingi scoffed. “I don’t see how it’s such a big deal.”

“You know—You were _there_ ,” he tried desperately.

“So, what?” Mingi shrugged again. “ _All_ of us were there. Not everyone chose to carry his burden with us, you know?” he told him cruelly.

Seonghwa opened his mouth to say something, but shut it close again. There was no point in trying, he didn’t even know why he had come up to confront Mingi in the first place. Mingi was Hongjoong’s best friend, of course he’d be rotten and mean. He inhaled, let his fists loose, and turned around, muttering a _whatever_ before he left.

“Park!” Hongjoong called after him.

“Don’t bother,” he heard Mingi tell his friend.

A _tsk_. “But he was being rude to you!”

“So was I,” Mingi countered tiredly.

Hongjoong sighed, but didn’t call after Seonghwa again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so,, a lot happened. Quidditch, Hogsmeade, Potions class.... I hope you're enjoying it so far!!
> 
> Feedback is always welcomed!! So please leave comments 💛
> 
> You can also find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/hhhjoong)!


	4. Midnight Wanderlust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, I really love this chapter! There are some _things_......... going on at Hogwarts it seems 👀

It was the midnight hour, the clock by the Entrance Hall chiming twelve times. The only reason why Seonghwa could hear the clock was because he found himself walking through the castle’s hallways instead of in his bed, up at the Ravenclaw Tower, snuggled comfortably into his blankets.

“—and anyway, he said my eyes went all white,” Wooyoung was explaining San and Jongho about the vision he’d had in their _Divination_ class earlier that day. “Professor Taehyung says he rarely has students that get visions in the middle of class… He wrote it down for me, but honestly it makes absolutely no sense.”

“What did you say?” San asked, oddly interested. “During the vision?”

“I don’t know, something about _Darkness will follow its new Highness_ and _a choice no Child of Lilith had to take_. I can show it to you later, if you want to, but I think I just blacked out and mumbled up some bullshit,” Wooyoung told him earnestly, shrugging.

“Why do you even take _Divination_ if you won’t even believe you got a legit vision?” Jongho asked him, rounding the corner and glancing around cautiously.

“I mean… It just seems hard to believe that _I_ would actually be gifted in this art.”

“Don’t say this about yourself,” San said, tone soft. “You’re remarkable, Wooyoung!”

Wooyoung stumbled in his steps, “T-Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Yeosang shushed them, stopping abruptly. He was leading their group. “I just saw someone in the hallway.”

“Shit,” Jongho mumbled.

“A professor?” Seonghwa asked in a whisper. “Or perhaps Caretaker Baekhyun?”

Byun Baekhyun was the castle’s Caretaker and, although he was young and pretty, he could be the devil reincarnate.

“How am I supposed to know? It’s dark as fuck!” Yeosang hissed, shaking his head.

“Merlin’s beard, what’s gotten into him?” San asked quietly, to no one in particular.

“ _Nothing_ ,” Yesoang answered him with a glare. “Nothing has gotten into me.”

San gave Seonghwa a questioning look, but Seonghwa didn’t know himself, so he just shrugged helplessly. Since the _Potions_ class, Yeosang had been off the entire time. Snappy with everyone, and rather impulsive.

“Come on, let’s continue.” Yeosang began sneaking through the corridor again, towards the location of the Hufflepuff common room.

The prank consisted of the following three steps:

1- San would sneak into the Hufflepuff common room and unlock it for Wooyoung and Seonghwa, whilst Jongho and Yeosang would wait outside in case someone approached and they had to bolt.

2- Wooyoung and Seonghwa would sneak into the dorm where Hongjoong and Mingi slept in, and they would apply the magical hair dye from _Zonko’s Joke Shop_ onto the sleeping and unsuspecting Hufflepuffs.

3- Finally, they would leave the Hufflepuff quarters and sneak back into their respective common rooms.

Thankfully, no major incidents happened during the operation and the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor exited the badger’s cave unscathed. They hurried back up with their friends.

“You know, this was a whole lot of effort for a really shitty and basic prank,” San commented disappointedly. “I expected better from you, Seonghwa.”

“Ah, you see, San, this isn’t just any ordinary magical hair dye,” Seonghwa told him with a wicked grin. “Yeosang and I worked really hard on adding a little extra charm to it.”

“Really, which would be?” San asked curiously, his lips curling up into a delighted grin.

“We changed it so that every time they try to change it, the color just turns into a brighter shade. It lasts for about a week.”

“A _week_?!” San wheezed.

“Plus, with this we just give them a false sense of security. Make them think we’re out of ideas,” Wooyoung explained.

**~*~**

The following morning Seonghwa was woken up by a very frightened Taehyun.

“The Hufflepuff Prefect is here to see you… He, er, seems to be _very_ angry.” Taehyun swallowed nervously. 

Seonghwa smirked. “Tell him I’ll be right down,” he told the second year, exchanging a look with Yeosang, whose mood had improved overnight and he smirked back.

Taehyun nodded, smiling warily at his brother before leaving the fifth years’s dorm again.

The sheer delight of witnessing Prefect and Captain Kim Hongjoong, arrogant Hufflepuff, stand in his ridiculous checkered pajamas in the Ravenclaw common room, with his arms crossed in front of his chest and sneering at every student that so much as dared a look at him, was glorious. 

Hongjoong’s head whipped around the moment Seonghwa entered the common room, clearing his throat. “ _You_!” The Hufflepuff pointed an accusatory finger at him, huffing furiously. “You’re going to regret this!”

“Oh, will I?” Seonghwa asked, walking up to Hongjoong, enjoying the few centimeters of height he had on him.

“You’re going to pay for this!” Hongjoong exclaimed, anger oozing out of his every pore. “Really, _seriously_ , Park Seonghwa—”

“Oh, my. He looks like a baby chick,” someone said with a snicker.

Hongjoong’s mouth fell shut and his left eye twitched, he turned his head slowly towards the owner of the voice, but before he could even throw an insult or curse at them, Seonghwa reached out his hand to clasp it in front of Hongjoong’s mouth, silencing him successfully. Then he dragged the Hufflepuff out of the Ravenclaw common room and into the fifth floor corridor.

“Nice hair, Mr Prefect!” And other taunts were thrown at them on their way out.

Yeosang stood hesitantly by the door frame, debating whether he should stay by Seonghwa’s side or spare himself of this bullshit so early in the morning.

“Are you going to just stand there, boy?” the bronze eagle knocker asked him in its scratchy tone.

“N-No,” Yeosang muttered and went back inside.

Seonghwa let go off Hongjoong, or more accurately, the Hufflepuff pushed him away forcefully, glaring daggers at the Ravenclaw Prefect.

“You’re the _fucking_ worst, you know that?”

“I wasn’t the one to walk—at ass o’clock in the morning—into the Ravenclaw Tower, now was I?” Seonghwa countered. “Which, by the way, how did you get inside?”

“You Ravenclaws aren’t as smart as you think!”

“It took him half an hour to guess the riddle, Mr Park,” the eagle supplied.

Seonghwa grinned. “Not the worst time. I’m impressed.”

Hongjoong was seething with anger, glancing in between Seonghwa and the eagle. He let out a long sigh and straightened up, then he pointed at his horrible hair. “Turn it back,” he demanded with an icy voice.

“Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t do that.” 

“Oh, you will! Or I’ll make you bald for eternity!”

“I actually, _seriously_ , can’t,” Seonghwa admitted, feeling slightly bad. Hongjoong looked ready for murder. “It doesn’t even look that bad…”

“My hair is _fucking_ yellow! I look like a chicken! I’ve been called Baby Chick Kim Hongjoong by twenty people already!”

“It’s your house’s color,” he pointed out, raising his eyebrows. “Relax. It’ll turn back in a week. And, anyway, I doubt any color could actually make you look bad,” he told the Hufflepuff, trying to calm him down—he might be tiny and a Hufflepuff, but he could be utterly terrifying sometimes.

Hongjoong faltered, deflating, and blinked at Seonghwa in surprise. “W-What?”

“What,” he deadpanned, then slowly he realized what he had just said. “Um, I-I meant that-that… You’re overreacting! Your red hair was just as tacky, if not worse!”

“No, it wasn’t! And it didn’t make me look like a-a bag of Ketchup,” Hongjoong insisted, his anger back, but his cheeks were tainted in the faintest of pink. 

“You’re right, you resembled a strawberry more,” Seonghwa corrected himself. “My mistake,” he apologized.

“Gah!” Hongjoong let out a frustrated small yell. “I’ll get back at you!” He left in quick strides, nearly walking into one of the knights standing guard by the corner of the hallway. “ _Fuck_!” He kicked the armored knight and the sentient object cursed back.

Much to his own surprise, a single very much distressing and cursed thought crossed Seonghwa’s mind. That Hongjoong was _endearing_. 

**~*~**

Seonghwa was so incredibly pleased to see that the days following the dyeing prank, Hongjoong’s hair was now a blinding yellow. The Hufflepuff was not catching up on the fact that every time he tried to fix it, it only got lighter. Witnessing his frustration was sweeter than any dessert for the Ravenclaw. 

Mingi seemed mostly unbothered by his strange, dark blue hair. Yunho—whose hair dye job Wooyoung had taken care of—sported a bright turquoise color, equally as unbothered as his tall Hufflepuff fellow. The whole operation had been a success, but Seonghwa was worried as there hadn’t been any repercussions by their rivals, yet, which meant they were preparing something big. Wooyoung had tried to get information out of Yunho, but the Gryffindor hadn’t broken. He had only smiled politely at Wooyoung and offered him some of his pudding, which Wooyoung had begrudgingly accepted.

“I’m telling you, they’re planning something nasty,” Wooyoung commented after he had joined his Ravenclaw friends by their table. “Yunho looked way too polite.”

Yeosang hummed. “You’re most likely right. Song was… boasting during _Potions_.”

“I’m still resentful Professor Shin paired you two together again, he’s a shit head,” Seonghwa said, stabbing his pork chop angrily. “At least I wasn’t paired up with Kim again.”

“Yeah, well,” Yeosang began, scratching his neck, “she said Song never seemed so focused before in _Potions_. Said I’m a good influence on him.” He scowled at that. “I think she mostly just wants him to be quiet and I’m not the most entertaining person to be around; even _fucking_ Song Mingi grows bored and silent by my side.”

Wooyoung scoffed, offended. “You’re plenty entertaining!”

“And funny too,” San added, who had been quietly sitting with them the entire time—completely enthralled by what seemed to be a diary. Seonghwa wondered if it was San’s own diary, but he didn’t bother to ask, San had been in a strange mood these days, overly apprehensive and quick to startle. “You are very loved, Yeosang, don’t forget that.”

Yeosang blushed at that, looking at San with surprise. “Thank you, San.”

“You should just ignore Song,” Seonghwa told him. “Whatever he says, don’t look into it.”

“I know.” A sigh. “I guess people like him just make me feel incredibly inferior. As if I have to prove myself.”

“You don’t,” Wooyoung promised him. “You’re enough just as you are!”

Yeosang looked down at his plate, a small smile blooming on his face. “Thank you.”

“If Jongho were here, I’m sure he would say something encouraging as well. We’re four people against one Song Mingi, I reckon we’d win against him,” Wooyoung said, moving his hand so he could squeeze his best friend’s shoulder. “Even as tall as he is.”

Yeosang laughed. “Jongho will take care of his kneecaps.”

“I can’t wait for us to play against them,” Seonghwa said with a wistful sigh. “Gryffindor versus Slytherin is soon, and then it’s us against them. We’ll make sure those badgers eat dirt!”

“You can have your personal revenge on Song then, Yeo. Catch the Snitch and shove it in his face,” Wooyoung agreed. “I’ll make banners.”

“Oh, please,” a drawling voice came from behind them. Seonghwa and Yeosang turned around slowly, whereas Wooyoung’s eyes just rose up slowly, a pinched expression on his face; San’s eyes remained on his lecture, but they were unmoving, undoubtedly listening in so he could jump in if needed. “I’ve seen you paint, Jeong, it’s anything but encouraging,” Hongjoong continued. 

“Ah, look, it’s Baby Chick Kim Hongjoong,” Wooyoung greeted him. “And you were not any better in Art class than I was.”

“Why did you come here?” Seonghwa asked, not in the mood to have his dinner ruined by Hongjoong’s presence.

There was also that thought he had had a few days ago, that didn’t seem to leave him alone, nagging at him in the back of his mind. Even now, with Hongjoong in his stupidly bright yellow hair, looking like a halo underneath the ceiling lightning, and his Hufflepuff robes matching it. His dark eyebrows were pulled into a frown, funny in contrast to the bright hair. His lips were pulled into a scowl, and Seonghwa—where he’d usually have not thought much about them—couldn’t help but stare at them for a second too long perhaps. 

He frowned at himself and this strange, sudden fixation on Hongjoong’s physical appearance. Hongjoong hadn’t changed much over summer, except for the hair color. He still was tiny, rather skinny, with small hands and a head that seemed too big on his shoulders; yet Seonghwa couldn’t help but feel as though he was _seeing_ Hongjoong for the first time ever.

“I came here to talk with Wooyoung about our _Charms_ assignment,” he said, looking straight at Wooyoung, as if the others didn’t exist. 

For some reason that irked Seonghwa, and he cleared his throat loudly. Hongjoong moved his eyes towards him, arching one of his eyebrows—it looked like a practiced art, arching one’s eyebrow that effortlessly. Seonghwa did not like it. 

“What?” Hongjoong asked, holding back with the venom put into it.

“You came all the way here to speak with Wooyoung? You could’ve easily waited for him outside the Great Hall… You’re here to prank us back, aren’t you?”

Hongjoong rolled his eyes. “Jeong, you take care of researching about the inventor of the spell and I’ll do the—”

But the remainder of his sentences was swallowed by an uproar unfolding at the Hufflepuff table. Two students seemed to be fighting, their voices raising over the chitchat in the grand room. Seconds later the Great Hall broke out into clamour. Professor Son Hyunwoo, Head of Hufflepuff, stalked down from the staff’s table towards the fight.

“Hongjoong!” Yunho called out, moving from his Gryffindor table over to the Hufflepuff one, calling out for the Prefect, an urgency to his voice that was very unlike his usual impartial demeanor.

Hongjoong’s eyes widened, he looked away from Wooyoung, towards Seonghwa, a frightened expression crossing his face, making him look incredibly young—childlike—and before any of them could voice their confusion, the Hufflepuff Prefect ran over to Yunho. 

“Not to be crude, but what the _fuck_?” Wooyoung questioned, standing up so he could take a peek at the table by the wall, where now hectic movement was disturbing the dinner hour.

“You’re always crude,” Yeosang pointed out, but even he was standing up so he could look.

“Am not,” Wooyoung shot back distractedly.

“You are,” San agreed with Yeosang. The book he had been reading had disappeared, instead he floated a couple of centimeters over the ground, and was staring, like everyone else, at the fight. “I’ll go speak with Hyuna, perhaps she knows what’s going on.”

Professor Son had now successfully separated the two students that had been fighting, he looked mad and disappointed.

“Isn’t that Song?” Seonghwa wondered, but his question required no answer as it was obvious.

Yunho and Hongjoong stood amidst the chaos, securely holding Mingi back by his shoulders, the tall Hufflepuff sported a scratch mark on his cheek, his face was blotched red and his eyes were glowing, nearly blindly so, with _pure anger_. He seemed to be shaking in his friends’s arms; Yunho was bending over and murmuring calming things into Mingi’s ear.

Hongjoong was listening to what Professor Son was telling them quietly, a masked expression on his face. The other Hufflepuff that had been involved was a fifth year named Lee Keonhee, their team’s Keeper, and rather a good friend of Mingi, which made the whole outburst even stranger. The rest of the Hufflepuff house stared at them with shocked disappointment.

“I thought his aggressive strike was over,” Seonghwa muttered, staring as Keonhee and Mingi were escorted out of the Great Hall, and slowly it quietened down.

“Maybe something happened to him recently that triggered it,” Wooyoung said with a shrug. Now that the excitement was over and San had left, he looked rather bored. “Yeosang,” he called out.

Yeosang, who had been staring at the whole ordeal with badly hidden curiosity, playing with the golden chain around his neck while deep in thought, snapped his eyes towards Wooyoung in startelement.

“Yes?”

“Remember, tonight at midnight,” Wooyoung reminded him with a grin.

Yeosang groaned. “Do we have to?”

“A bet is a bet!” He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Or just admit that you’re too scared, and let me win.”

“And have you sneak out on your own like the stupid and brave Gryffindor you are? No way.”

Wooyoung grinned blindingly at him.

**~*~**

Even if Seonghwa had turned down his friends’s invitation to sneak out and venture to the _Shrieking Shack_ , it didn’t stop him from sneaking out of the Ravenclaw Tower half an hour after Yeosang had.

He couldn’t sleep, the bright light of the moon keeping him awake. That, plus some unwanted thoughts he had been mulling over for the better half of the night; so he had decided to make a run for the kitchens, get himself some midnight snack, converse with the friendly house-elves, and head back to his beloved bed, hoping that by then his brain would be too tired to play over the constant chant of Hongjoong related thoughts.

It was a curse, now that he had noticed Hongjoong’s handsomeness—and his own strange reaction to that—it didn’t leave him alone, and he needed to get that under control as soon as possible. He hoped, much to his own chagrin, that Hongjoong would prank them soon in a nasty way and Seonghwa could go back to hating him fiercely.

(So that any kind of odd second thoughts would be erased once and for all.)

Quiet like a ghost, Seonghwa made his way through the stone hallways, past paintings—that hissed at him for the light coming from his wand—and past Caretaker Baekhyun, who thankfully was too busy chatting away with the handsome painting of Prince Park Chanyeol. At some point Seonghwa bumped into Jeon Jungkook, a notorious Ravenclaw ghost, who was in the middle of pulling a prank himself, so they parted ways quietly, with a nod at one another and a whispered _good luck_ for their respective mischiefs. 

When Seonghwa crossed the Entrance Hall, about to descend into the basement, he stopped as he heard a distorted whisper carry through the corridors. It didn’t resemble a human voice; Seonghwa wasn’t sure if it even was a voice at all—the more he tried to understand it, the less it made sense to him—maybe it was just the wind filtering through some open cracks. Something animalistic and savage woke up in Seonghwa’s heart, for a brief moment he stared around himself not recognizing where he was. 

He let out a panicked breath—unsure if it was because he didn’t recognize it, or because he was aware that he wasn’t himself in that instant. After a painstakingly long second, he recognized his whereabouts again. He frowned in confusion, trying to understand what had just happened, but it was unlike anything he had never experienced. 

Maybe he was just tired, he reasoned with himself.

Seonghwa descended into the basement and walked to stand right in front of the colorful food-themed painting. He was about to tickle the pear to gain access to the Hogwarts Kitchens, when he heard footsteps and loud whispers from nearby. This time definitely human.

“ _Nox_ ,” he whispered and put his wand away; he pressed himself to the shadows of the castle as he tiptoed his way over to the voices.

By the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room, two very familiar figures creeped around. Both of their wands flooding the corridor with light. Hongjoong was dressed in casual clothes, an oversized hoodie swallowing him whole, and Yunho was wearing a big winter coat. They looked ready to leave the castle.

“Are you sure he made it out?” Yunho hissed, a preoccupied look crossing his face.

“For the tenth time, _yes_.” Hongjoong sped up, Yunho followed in long strides. “If we don’t hurry he might—” he stopped, turning around. Seonghwa pressed himself to the wall, hoping he was hidden enough by the shadows. “Let’s go.”

The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff made their way over to one of the most used secret corridor out of the castle, on the third floor. It led to a place between the Quidditch pitch and the Broom Shed, near the Great Lake. It was difficult remaining inconspicuous in the narrow tunnel, but Seonghwa managed to follow the two without being discovered.

The moment Hongjoong stepped out of the bushes the secret corridor led to, he decidedly walked away from the Great Lake—Seongwha suspected he was going to the Quidditch pitch, perhaps for some extra training. But Yunho called his Hufflepuff friend back, a whispered yell, confused and scared.

“When did you say he went out?”

“After detention at Professor Son’s, before sundown,” Hongjoong answered, jogging back to where Yunho was now walking slowly to the direction of the lake.

Seonghwa was hidden in the bushes, crouched as the pale and bright light of the moon shone down on the castle’s grounds. In the distance the Quidditch stands looked like immobile giants standing guard. The Great Lake shone beautifully in the moon’s light, it’s dark surface—he understood now why some called it the Black Lake—was lined with small waves, and with the moonlight it drew glittery and wobbly horizontal lines; but the mesmerizing beauty vanished the moment a big shadow hushed over the shores of the lake, towards them.

“ _Fuck_!” Hongjoong hissed. “ _Nox_ ,” he whispered, Yunho followed suit.

The two boys ran towards the shadow, disappearing in the night. Seonghwa remained where he was, too stunned to move—and suddenly too scared. He remembered the shadow he had seen around a month ago, near Professor Namjoon’s cabin. Seonghwa shook his head and told himself, _I have to find out what they’re up to_. He stood up, shoulders hunched, as he decidedly walked the same direction he had seen Yunho and Hongjoong disappear to, watching his surroundings carefully.

Seonghwa wasn’t even sure anymore why he was following them, at first it was his desire to possibly bust them and redact points from their houses; maybe humiliate Hongjoong. But something about the way they moved, with secrecy and fear, and the big shadow… Something was going on—something big—and Seonghwa’s curiosity was killing him.

In the distance he could make out their figures, and so he hurried his steps.

“Mingi!” he heard Yunho call out anxiously. “Hongjoong, what do we do? This is madness!”

“I don’t know, it wasn’t supposed to-to,” he choked on his words the moment his eyes fell on Seonghwa, who hadn’t been careful in hiding himself. Seonghwa swallowed and stepped out, his wand held high in warning and his gaze leveled. “P-Park?” Hongjoong stared at him, wide eyed, without a trace of hatred in them.

Yunho whipped his head in Seonghwa’s direction, his mouth opening in surprise, then a horrified expression crossed his face. He exchanged a quiet conversation with Hongjoong, finally the Hufflepuff Prefect scoffed, but he did move towards Seonghwa.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” he said, his tone warning.

Seonghwa crossed his arms in front of his chest defiantly. “Neither should you.” 

“We have a good reason,” Hongjoong defended himself, “whereas you probably just decided to stick your nose into business that doesn’t concern you.”

“You want me to get you expelled?” he asked tauntingly, stepping forward so he could loom over the Hufflepuff.

“I’d like to see you try,” Hongjoong shot back, sneering at him.

“Hongjoong, get him inside the castle. Now!” Yunho interrupted their jabs, pressingly. He was staring at something in the darkness. “I’ll… I’ll try to, you know.” He made a self explanatory gesture at Hongjoong, who nodded in understanding. 

“Just make sure he isn’t near the lake. Merlin knows what he’s doing there.”

“Yes, it’s strange,” Yunho agreed mysteriously. He smiled at Seonghwa then ruefully. “You’re lucky Hongjoong doesn’t actually hate you that much.”

“What,” Seonghwa deadpanned, there was a strange shift in the night and everything sounded a tenfold louder, including his own heartbeat.

“ _Yunho_!” the aforementioned boy protested, whipping his head in the Gryffindor’s direction. “What the _fuck_? You know damn well that I _do_ hate him!”

Yunho rolled his eyes. “Alright, fine! Just leave and bring him back to the castle! Go do that with as much hatred as you need, if you must.”

Hongjoong grumbled something under his breath, but he turned around and walked towards Seonghwa, grabbing his Ravenclaw sweater’s sleeve, and dragged him back to the tunnel they had come from.

“Hey, let go off me!” protested Seonghwa, trying to yank his arm free, but Hongjoong just moved to grab his wrist firmly.

“It’s dangerous,” he hissed. “Be quiet!”

Seonghwa wanted to protest and keep mocking the Hufflepuff, but something about his odd demeanor and his jerky movements, as he pulled the Ravenclaw Prefect with him to the tunnel, watching the night with attentive eyes, was off putting and Seonghwa kept quiet, obediently following Hongjoong.

When they reached the mouth of the secret corridor, Hongjoong nodded his head at it, expecting him to go first. Seonghwa opened his mouth to object, but the Hufflepuff kicked him lightly.

“Don’t put up a fight, Park,” he muttered, his gaze serious when it settled on Seonghwa. “Go on.”

“Right; and you expect me to believe that you’ll follow. I’ll look like a fool in the morning when you and your friends will have done whatever prank it is that you’re planning—” he was rambling, but Hongjoong moved a quick hand to cover Seonghwa’s mouth

“Contrary to popular belief,” Hongjoong murmured distractedly; his eyes were scanning the open field around them, “not everything I do is to annoy you, Park.”

Seonghwa licked Hongjoong’s palm, who removed it lightning quick with a disgusted scoff.

“Surprised it is not,” he said simply, following Hongjoong’s gaze. “What are you looking for, anyway?”

“None of your business.” The Hufflepuff, fed up with Seonghwa’s curious nature, pushed him through the bushes, where he fell into the corridor, landing ungracefully on soil.

“Fucker!” Seonghwa protested and flicked his wand. “ _Lumos_.”

“Move,” Hongjoong grunted as he climbed down. He pulled out his own wand, flicking it, and light came pouring out from the tip.

Seonghwa’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, they hadn’t studied nonverbal spells yet. Of course, he didn’t speak his surprise or admiration out loud, he simply turned around, his back towards Hongjoong, and began walking up the corridor, in the direction of the castle. 

The walk was tense and awkward, both of them oddly silent, usually they’d be bickering or fighting, but it seemed as if a silent accord had settled between them, and they would stay quiet during the journey through the corridor. When the inside of the castle emerged in the distance, Seonghwa led the way out, carefully watching the dark hallways for any professors or Caretaker Baekhyun, but they were luckily empty. He exited, climbing through the mouth, and turned around to watch Hongjoong exit behind him.

For a moment, they stood silently staring at one another, Seonghwa wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. It wasn’t as if he had any plans to sneak out again or stick with Hongjoong; from here on he could find his way back to the Ravenclaw Tower easily, but for some reason it seemed as though the Hufflepuff didn’t quite trust him. Which was understandable, considering their history.

“Whatever you think you might have seen tonight, Park, it doesn’t concern you and it’s not something you should be trying to find out,” Hongjoong told him in a hushed voice.

“Putting it like that just makes me more curious…”

Hongjoong groaned. “Don’t be so _fucking_ difficult,” he complained. “Seriously, why are you so annoying? I don’t get why everyone likes you so much.”

“What do you mean?” Seonghwa asked him, leaning against the wall next to the tunnel.

“Oh, you _know_ what I mean. Everyone thinks you and Kang are Merlin’s gifts to walk the hallways. As if! And Jeong is just a—”

“ _Don’t_ ,” Seonghwa warned him. “Whatever it is you want to say about Wooyoung, spare it.”

“Pfft, or what? You see, unlike everyone else fooled by your good looks and polite manners, I know that you are an annoying and selfish asshole.”

“Thank you.”

“What? No, that wasn’t a compliment,” Hongjoong defended himself; even if the light from his wand was rather a white-blue, and the moonlight was pale as well, Seonghwa still caught the high blush on the Hufflepuff’s cheeks. “If people knew of this-this arrogant and annoying part of you, then they wouldn’t like you as much.”

“I think many know this side of myself, thanks to you, and they still seem to tolerate me,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly and unbothered, but he did enjoy the way it was riling up Hongjoong.

“Because people are cheap!”

Seonghwa rolled his eyes, but he found himself sigh out in relief. 

It was good to fall back into this dynamic of teasing Hongjoong and getting insulted, any trace of doubt he might have encountered earlier—and throughout the past few days—vanished and he only felt irritation when he looked at Hongjoong.

“What was that?” a man’s voice called out, heavy footsteps following the question. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff exchanged a distressed look, their bickering coming to a stop, and they both whispered the counter spell to their bright wands. “Is there a student wandering the corridors?” Caretaker Baekhyun wondered, the light of his torch coming closer.

“Shit, let’s go!” Seonghwa muttered, dashing quietly in the opposite direction, Hongjoong close behind.

They walked quickly down the corridor of the third floor, but they both knew it was a dead end, the staircases were by the other end of the corridor, where Caretaker Baekhuyn was now emerging from. Their only option left was to hide behind one of the numerous doors lining up and down the hallway. With a distressed sigh, Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong’s wrist and dragged him through one of the doors, whispering an _Alohomora_ to unlock it. 

It was a bathroom—barely used as Seonghwa had learned through Wooyoung years ago—a blanket of dust lying over every surface. Hongjoong closed the door quietly, locking it anew so that Caretaker Baekhyun wouldn’t suspect they were hiding inside. 

Seonghwa walked towards the end, tiptoeing around the mass of files that were scattered around the floor, they were the only indication that _someone_ spent their time in the bathroom. Hongjoong followed him, muttering something under his breath that sounded a lot like _fucking crazy_.

Seonghwa opened the last stall, stepping inside, and he waited for the Hufflepuff to follow suit.

“You’re kidding, right?” Hongjoong asked.

“Fine, get caught by Catetaker Baekhyun then,” Seonghwa said, already closing the stall’s door.

“Wait!” Hongjoong called out, and stopped him, a glare crossing his face as he stepped inside. He looked around himself. “Is this where you hang out with your friends? Where you guys play that silly Muggle game?” 

Seonghwa shot him an irritated look. “Shut up, will you,” he hissed at him. He yanked the Hufflepuff fully inside and closed the stall’s door silently.

They stayed quiet, listening in on Caretaker Baekhyun’s footsteps coming closer to the bathroom, there was the sound of keys jingling, and Seonghwa inwardly cursed. They were going to get caught. Where was San when you needed him? 

“Mr Byun,” a voice called out from the other side of the door. Seonghwa sighed and moved so he could stand a bit more comfortably in the limited space. “What are you doing here?” San asked politely.

“I heard some voices,” he explained.

“Ah, I apologize. That was me,” San told him, sounding apologetic. “I was having a friendly circle with a couple of other ghosts.”

There was a tense silence, then Caretaker Baekhyun let out an, “That so? In that case, I am sorry, Mr Choi.” 

“It’s quite alright, Mr Byun. Someone should be making sure no students are wandering around in the darkness, and I am glad it is you,” he praised the Caretaker, who let out a delightful yet abashed laugh, mumbling out a _thank you_. 

The sound of retrieving footsteps made Seonghwa finally sag his shoulders in relief, he leaned against the stall’s wall, waiting for the coast to be completely clear. He glanced down at Hongjoong, who was standing tensely in front of him, one of his hands resting by his side and balled into a fist while the other was at an odd angle—half raised and resting against the stall’s wall—and Seonghwa realized, belatedly, that he was still holding onto Hongjoong’s wrist tightly. He let go, awkwardly shifting his position. 

Hongjoong moved his hand to the door’s handle, opening it quickly and stepping outside, as if being inside the stall with Seonghwa was unbearable—it probably was to him. He let out a little gasp as he walked right through San.

“Ah, fuck!” He shuddered and moved his arms around wildly, blindly stepping on the papers on the floor.

“Careful!” cried San as he bent down to repair the damage Hongjoong was doing. “Seonghwa, control him, please!”

Seonghwa stepped forward, grabbing Hongjoong’s shoulder to prevent him from further stepping around the bathroom like a lost duckling. The Hufflepuff yelped and struggled in his grip, but ended up allowing Seonghwa to move him to the back of the bathroom, by the sinks, where no documents decorated the floor like a carpet.

“Merlin, what the _fuck_ is all this?” Hongjoong asked once he had removed himself from Seonghwa and was looking at the papers that San was putting back into order. He bent down and picked up a few to inspect.

“Important business that doesn’t concern you,” San muttered in explanation, taking them out of his grasp. “And no, Seonghwa, this isn’t for your eyes either,” he added when the Ravenclaw was opening his mouth to ask about it himself. “This is something only I know of, so please, if Mr Byun isn’t around anymore, I would appreciate if you two would leave.”

Seonghwa frowned, put off by San’s unusual guarded and distanced behavior. He had been behaving strangely lately, a bit distressed and hiding away in the bathroom more than usual. Whatever it was that seemed to put him in such a distressed mood, only seemed to worsen over time. Seonghwa contemplated telling Wooyoung about this, the Gryffindor was probably the only one who could get through to San.

“Well, I don’t have any plans on staying here with you two longer than necessary, so…” Hongjoong said and made his way through to the door, careful to not step onto any documents again. 

Seonghwa followed him, waving goodbye at San, which was returned in a very distracted and tired manner. Were ghosts even supposed to feel tired? He shook his head, closing the bathroom door quietly behind himself. The corridor was now free of the caretaker and silence surrounded the two Prefects as they walked towards the staircases.

Before they parted ways, Seonghwa noticed a piece of paper that Hongjoong seemed to hide in his hoodie’s pocket. He frowned and reached out to grab it out of the Hufflepuff’s grasps.

“Hey!” he protested, but went quiet under Seonghwa’s questioning gaze.

“Did you just steal this from San?!” he asked. The Hufflepuff nodded his head, annoyed that he had been caught. “You shouldn’t have done that!”

“Don’t tell me you’re not curious to know what your Slytherin friend gets up to,” Hongjoong muttered, and he was right, of course, but Seonghwa didn’t want to outright admit that.

“As much as it isn’t my business what you and your friends were doing on the castle grounds tonight, _this_ shouldn’t be your business,” Seonghwa scolded him, but he did unfold the document, much against his better judgement. Hongjoong leaned forward to eye the paper.

It was a copy of a Hogwarts student record. This particular one was of a pureblood Gryffindor girl named Jeon Heejin, in her fourth year. There didn’t seem to be anything particular or different about her, but San had circled her birthdate with a pen, and written down the following words: _millennium, tenth new moon, possible highness_. Seonghwa wrinkled his forehead, trying to make sense of what he was reading, but his mind came up empty. He wondered, not for the first time, what secrets San hid, especially regarding his death back during the Second Wizarding War.

Hongjoong grabbed his wrist to move the paper closer to him, reading it. “Huh,” he mumbled, then looked up at Seonghwa. “Do you understand this?”

“No.” He shook his head, freed his wrist out of Hongjoong’s grip, and stuffed the record into his pocket. “And I probably shouldn’t either. It’s not my business, as it isn’t yours,” he told the Hufflepuff again, putting finality in his tone, hoping that Hongjoong wouldn’t try to pry the paper away from him.

Thankfully, Hongjoong didn’t try, instead he seized up Seonghwa. “So it’s settled then, I won’t pry on your ghost-friend, and you won’t try to follow me out of the castle again.”

Seonghwa hummed in agreement, reaching out his hand to shake Hongjoong’s, but the Hufflepuff pureblood just stared at it in confusion.

Then he looked up, sputtering. “Are you asking me to-to hold your hand—”

“Shake my hand, Kim, to make this agreement official,” Seonghwa spat out, feeling weirdly shy suddenly. “As if I would want to hold your hand.” He laughed mockingly at the Hufflepuff.

“I don’t want to either!” He grabbed Seonghwa’s hand and shook it—purposefully squeezing it tightly, most likely trying to hurt the Ravenclaw. “Well, then, I’ll be on my way.” With that he left, disappearing into the shadows as he descended the stairs towards Hogwarts’s basement.

Seonghwa stood in the third floor corridor for a moment, just thinking about the events of the night. The absolute rollercoaster he had gone through, from discovering that Hongjoong and his friends hid a major secret; to San having an odd secret of his own—something mysterious and maybe even dark. 

Seonghwa realized that he didn’t really know his peers as much as he thought he did, for some foolish reason he had believed that, despite their ongoing rivalry—or maybe because of it—he was familiar with Hongjoong and his friends, in the known of their movements and stories, but he was more in the dark than he’d like to admit. 

His intelligence and sharp sense were a prideful point to him, as a Ravenclaw, so to have those put in question, stung quite a bit.

Then there was San’s secrecy and obvious discomfort lately, that he tried to hide as best as he could from his living friends, but they had caught on to it, too polite to ask, but maybe it was time Wooyoung interrogated San. They were supposed to be friends, and friends shouldn’t hide things from one another.

He let out a long sigh, running a hand through his mess of a black hair, and made his way back to the Ravenclaw Tower. When he stepped inside it was nearing 3am, but Yeosang’s bed was still empty. He took this as a sign that his two friends must have had a successful night in finding out all about the, supposedly, werewolf living in the _Shrieking Shack_ ; he guessed he’d hear all about it in the morning.

Seonghwa went to bed, feeling oddly restless, and when dreams came to him they were a confusing tale of black and gold, and a dark field stretching out in front of him as he chased someone, desperately trying to catch them. It was like sand running through his fingers, and the more the person disappeared in the darkness, the more Seonghwa’s heart hurt. He woke up in the early dawn, with a racing heart and a dizzy head.

Some of the night’s tensions—and his confusing and horrible dreams—dissipated when he glanced at his friend’s bed and found Yeosang and Wooyoung soundly asleep, hugging one another. He smiled, relieved, and got up from his bed. 

_Might as well get ready_ , he thought to himself as we walked towards the Prefect Bathroom.

**~*~**

Seonghwa made his way to the Great Hall and was surprised to find his friends there already. Yeosang and Wooyoung were sitting by the Ravenclaw table and fighting over the _Daily Prophet_ ; the rest of the grand dining room was rather empty, which wasn’t surprising as it was still early.

“Morning,” he said as he sat down opposite them, raising his eyebrows as he helped himself with some orange juice. He looked at them expectantly. Yeosang put down the _Daily Prophet_ , folding the paper in half. “So?” he inquired, trying not to give away that he was dying to hear their story, as much as he was dying to tell them about his own night.

“Well, tragically, we didn’t make it to the _Shrieking Shack_ ,” Wooyoung told him. “We didn’t see any werewolf, either…” Yeosang coughed pointedly. “Yes, fine, apparently Yeosang saw a blue dog running about. But like, why would there be a blue dog, you know?”

“I mean it’s Hogwarts. Professor Namjoon has the strangest animals,” Seonghwa said.

“But a dog? A regular dog, with blue fur?” Yeosang said, moving his hands around wildly. “Am I the only one thinking that there’s something more going on here?”

“Yes,” Seonghwa and Wooyoung said at the same time. “Look, I admit a blue dog is weird, but there are literally weirder things we’ve seen,” Seonghwa said.

“You make a strong argument,” Yeosang admitted in defeat. “I still believe the blue dog was ominous.”

Wooyoung patted his shoulder in consolation. “I can try to read something at _Divination_ later, throw some cards, maybe there’s talk of a blue dog somewhere,” he offered, and Yeosang nodded appreciatively. “Anyway, after the night ended up with Yeosang freaking out about the blue dog, and both of us too scared to go to the _Shrieking Shack_ —”

“That was _you_ ,” Yeosang cut him off. “I was perfectly fine going through the tunnel in the Whomping Willow.”

“Fine! _I_ was terrified, all right? I’ve lost the bet,” Wooyoung admitted, his tone snappy. “Anyway, we went to the Kitchens to stuff our stomachs.”

Seonghwa hummed in approval. “I’ve had a strange night of my own,” he told them.

“Well go on then,” Wooyoung said with an eager tone, settling comfortably into the bench.

Seonghwa retold them the events of the previous night, careful to not leave out any details. He watched his friends’s expressions go from curious to perplexed to downright confused. Wooyoung held a frown and worriedly bit his bottom lip when Seonghwa told the section about San, the scattered documents, and the student report.

“Maybe San has a really good reason to keep that from us,” observed Wooyoung, picking at his toast. “I mean, he’s a _ghost_ ,” his tone was bitter as he said that, “and there’s some business that’s best for the dead, not the living.”

His statement was met with silence, Seonghwa thought his words over deliberately. Wooyoung had a point, some things were best left for the dead, but Jeon Heejin was very much alive, and Seonghwa could bet in between the other documents were more reports of very much alive students. He commented this to his friends, Yeosang nodded is head affirmation, but he was deep in thought.

“Maybe it has something to do with his death,” he reflected, tapping his chin. “I recall San once telling me he was murdered.”

“ _Everyone_ knows that,” Wooyoung said, bothered. He always got overly sensitive when San’s death was brought up. Wooyoung was the closest to the ghost and even he did not know how San was murdered. Not even the other ghosts knew, and they had been present during the Second Wizarding War, when it allegedly happened.

“I was just saying…” Yeosang defended himself, glancing at Wooyoung with hurtful eyes.

“Right, sorry.” Wooyoung squeezed his friend’s forearm briefly, giving him a tight lipped smile. “This topic just… It makes me realize that he is _dead_ , you know? That we’re never going to—That I am a fool.”

“You can’t control your heart,” Seonghwa told him, shaking his head. “You’re not a fool.”

“I feel like one most of the time though.” Wooyoung sighed. “Doesn’t matter. Back to your story.”

But before they could further discuss what San might be hiding, or what Hongjoong and Yunho were doing sneaking out of the castle past midnight, Jongho came rushing to their table, his eyes widened.

“Guys!” he exclaimed, out of breath. He looked tired, heavy bags beneath his eyes, as if he had slept poorly. Perhaps it had to do with his nightmares, Seonghwa reasoned. _I wonder when he’ll come to us for help about that_. “You won’t believe what I just overheard in the corridor!” 

“What is it?” Yeosang inquired. He usually wasn’t the most interested in hot gossip, but he had a soft spot for Jongho and liked to indulge him.

“So, get this,” Jongho began, sitting down with them. The rest of the Ravenclaw table drew close to listen in; the Great Hall slowly filled with clamour. “Apparently, Mingi was hurt last night. He was rushed to the Hospital Wing just now. I’ve heard a sixth year say he has a nasty cut running from his ear down to his collarbone, and a dozen smaller cuts all over his arms and legs,” he finished explaining, awaiting his friends’s reactions.

“ _What_?!” they asked bewildered in unison. Yeosang’s wide eyes held a bit of concern. “Is he okay though?” Wooyoung further asked.

Jongho nodded his head. “Just passed out, as it seems.”

Seonghwa thought back to the previous night, recalling the details. He hadn’t seen Mingi sneak out, but then again he had heard his friends talk about _someone_ going out, which possibly could have referred to Mingi—he couldn’t think of anyone else that was particularly close to Hongjoong and Yunho. Maybe the reason they had sneaked out was to get Mingi, maybe they knew he was going to get assaulted; which begged the question, why had Mingi been outside in the first place?

**~*~**

Despite his Prefect badge, Seonghwa found himself wandering the castle’s corridors the following night again, the full moon shone less brightly that night, half hidden behind a wall of clouds.

Even if he had made a deal with Hongjoong that they wouldn’t butt into each other’s businesses, he couldn’t just sit around in the Ravenclaw Tower as the Hufflepuff wandered around with such a big and, apparently, dangerous secret. He was a Prefect and whatever Hongjoong and friends were up to, he was going to bust them, but first he needed to discover what was up with Mingi, get a closer look at his wounds. Maybe interrogate him.

Seonghwa was a Ravenclaw, the deep need for knowledge was ingrained in his brain. It was part of his persona. He was boundlessly curious and he needed to satisfy that curiosity.

When he got to the Hospital Wing, he looked around himself, emerging from the shadows after he made sure the corridor was empty. To his chagrin, Hongjoong sat beside Mingi’s bed, conversing with his friend instead of sleeping. Seonghwa scowled, silently stepping away from the door, and he pressed himself to the wall next to the room. He closed his eyes, thinking of what he should do next.

He heard non human footsteps and opened his eyes in time to see a big dog step into the Hospital Wing. He frowned, but brushed it off as the dog possibly being Madame Eunji’s pet.

Seonghwa was debating whether he should just leave and come back the following night to interrogate Mingi, when the door creaked open and seconds later Hongjoong stood in front of him. His yellow hair was gone, instead it was the strawberry red again, but in the moonlight in looked rather like a faded pink. The Hufflepuff’s skin was paler than usual, his lips pulled into a scowl as he eyed Seonghwa.

“Ah, should’ve known that you’d snoop around anyway,” he said, his voice dripping with disappointment. “I should hex you right here.” He drew out his wand, mischief dancing in his eyes.

Seonghwa was momentarily caught up in the different stars that seemed to dance in Hongjoong’s eyes, the moonlight making him look almost ethereal. Seonghwa shook his head to snap out of this strange train of thoughts, pushing away any musings regarding Hongjoong’s (very dazzling) eyes.

“Oh, any other prohibited charms you want to practice on me?” Seonghwa asked, raising his eyebrows. Not sure why he had referenced their duel in first year, maybe because its anniversary was nearing. “Like, hm, I don’t know, _Sectumsempra_?”

Hongjoong gasped, then frowned affronted. “The fact that you think I would _ever_ use that spell… We might not see eye to eye, but I would never actually try to harm you,” he said, his tone low. “Not to that extent, at least.”

Seonghwa was surprised by the genuinity in Hongjoong’s voice, that he had taken such offense to Seonghwa’s words.

He opened his mouth, closed it again. “Sorry,” he finally mumbled out, unsure why he was even apologizing; that wasn’t their thing.

“Whatever,” Hongjoong grumbled.

They fell into a strange and uncomfortable silence, Seonghwa nearly forgetting why he was even by the Hospital Wing to begin with. He scratched his neck, pressing himself more into the stone wall as Hongjoong still stood weirdly close to him, and this closeness was starting to madden Seonghwa, his heart beating dangerously fast all of a sudden.

“So, how is Song?” he asked then, to break the tension. 

To break Hongjoong out of whatever trance he had fallen into, staring up at Seonghwa silently. 

The Hufflepuff blinked. “He’s fine.” He stepped back, ducking his head in a shy manner, as if he had only then realized that he had been staring blankly at Seonghwa. He looked up again. “Or he will be. Why do you ask?”

“Honestly, Kim, I don’t even know myself,” he replied, truthfully.

Hongjoong frowned, and looked at him with such a piercing stare, as if Seonghwa was a specially confusing puzzle that needed to be decoded; but frustratingly, Hongjoong didn’t possess enough answers to understand it. 

With a sigh, the Hufflepuff looked away. “That is probably the truest thing you have ever told me.”

“Doubtful,” Seonghwa countered, but there was no heat behind it. “Anyway, I’ll… I’ll, uh, be leaving,” he said then, unsure what he was supposed to achieve now that Hongjoong had caught him snooping around—plus there was this weird energy in between them that Seonghwa didn’t know what to think of.

(Didn’t know where it would lead him if it carried on.)

“Very well,” Hongjoong said, sighing. He stepped aside to let Seonghwa go. “Park!” he called out, though. “Don’t stick your nose into this,” he moved his hand in the direction of the Hospital Wing. “It really isn’t something you should burden yourself with.” The corners of his lips twitched in an attempt of a smile, but his eyes were tired looking and serious—way too serious for someone that was only fifteen.

He nodded his head curtly before he walked back into the Hospital Wing, leaving the Ravenclaw alone in the castle’s corridor. 

When Seonghwa lay in his bed half an hour later, he thought about the way Hongjoong had framed the sentence. _Burden yourself with_ , he had said as if he had tried to protect Seonghwa, but Seonghwa didn’t need anyone to protect or shelter him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👀👀👀👀👀
> 
> I always look forward to feedback, so please leave comments hehe
> 
> You can also find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/hhhjoong)!!  
> And if you have any questions, here's my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/mist_)✊
> 
> \- jack ^^


	5. The Dead’s Halloween Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Minor tw** for the chapter: there's underage consumption of alcohol. I have no idea how Wizarding Laws work regarding alcohol, but I low key based it on where I am from (Germany) where you can buy and drink beer, wine, and champagne when you're 16, but changing it to 15.

“Lovely decoration,” Jongho said, fakely smiling at one of the hosts. He watched the dissected bats hanging scarily from the ceiling, together with the very much real spiderwebs. The food was all foul and rotten, smelling badly with flies flying around it hypnotizingly. “Really, what a lovely party!”

“Enough, _I get it_ ,” Wooyoung muttered, holding his champagne glass with this index finger and thumb, and stared around at the countless ghosts filling out the party room. “This is my first ghost party, too, all right? How was I supposed to know that it was so, so—”

“So, what?” asked San, appearing next to them, holding a tray with what looked like delicacies at first glance, but turned out to be just more rotten food. “Fancy some—”

“No!” Jongho cried, shaking his head vehemently. “No offense, San, but this food… Did you really think we would be able to eat it?”

San looked at it, stared, and then slowly his mouth opened, forming a perfect ‘O’. “I completely forgot about that, my bad. I understand now why you’re all so disappointed and pulling faces at the food.”

“Yes, it’s been rather suboptimal,” Yeosang agreed, sipping his champagne. “At least the alcohol is consumable.”

“Agreed,” Wooyoung muttered.

“If you all would let me drink some, I might not complain as much,” Jongho protested.

His friends gasped, scandalized. “No way, you’re fourteen,” Seonghwa said.

“You’re fifteen! That’s only one year of difference,” the Slytherin continued complaining.

“It’s Wizarding Law, you must be at least fifteen to consume alcohol,” Yeosang recited. “Plus, champagne is not something you really can become drunk on. You’d have to drink _a lot_. And it tastes really bad.”

“If it tastes so bad, just give me yours!” Jongho made grabby hands.

Yeosang shook his head, moving his glass out of Jongho’s reach. “No way, I need it to survive this party.”

“You know, you guys don’t have to stay that long. I understand if you would rather go to the Kitchens; or to the Halloween party happening in the Gryffindor Tower,” San told them, a bit dejected but he did give them an understanding smile.

“No, it’s fine; don’t worry, we’re having a blast,” Seonghwa promised him, lightly kicking Jongho, who was about to complain again.

Wooyoung nodded eagerly. “Yes, a blast!”

“I know you guys are totally lying, but it’s adorable you’re trying to cheer me up.” San laughed. “Thank you.”

“How about we stay for another hour and then head to the Kitchens,” Yeosang offered, waiting for approval.

“Sounds like a plan,” said Wooyoung with a nod.

They spent their time wandering around and talking to the different ghost-guests gathered at the Dead’s Halloween Party. Wooyoung faithfully trailed after San like a lost puppy, introducing himself to all of San’s friends, trying to make a good impression. It was a lost cause, a bit pitiful to watch in Seonghwa’s opinion. Yeosang remained in his corner, drinking his champagne as he eyed the dead around him, a shy ghost had joined him silently in the watching. Jongho was hitting it off with Jungkook, animatedly talking about what Seonghwa suspected were pranks and shenanigans. 

Seonghwa found himself to stand alone, unsure what to do. Somehow he wondered what it would be like if Hongjoong was to be in between the guests. Would they bicker incessantly or would they find common ground if put together in such an awkward environment? Would the need to coexist force them into amicable banter?

He shook his head, surprised by these questions. What did it matter? Hongjoong hated him, still after all these years he thought so incredibly poorly of Seonghwa—and vice versa. Seonghwa disliked the Hufflepuff just as much, but recently there had been doubt clouding his mind and he found himself questioning their rivalry, wondering why they were keeping it up; forgetting even some of the nastier pranks they had pulled on one another. 

It was frightening how that one stray thought of doubt had casted this whole chain of domino pieces to tumble. Suddenly, Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong and saw something different, he didn’t see that rude and annoying Hufflepuff, he didn’t see that pitiful and weak boy either. Instead he saw someone full of secrets; a handsome face with pretty eyes and lips, that promised tales upon tales, and left him all bedazzled and longing for more.

Hongjoong was so much more than an annoying Hufflepuff. He was more than the one dimensional image Seonghwa had of him, and worst of all, Seonghwa wanted to discover Hongjoong beyond this limited view of him that he had. A terrible idea. He wasn’t supposed to have developed this interest and curiosity. 

Hongjoong should have stayed a bothersome Hufflepuff in his mind, not a pretty boy he was suddenly growing interested in.

Seonghwa swallowed, nervously glancing around, scared that somehow someone had read his thoughts. He walked towards the food and drinks table, getting himself another flute of champagne, finishing it rapidly.

“Careful, young man!” said a woman, laughing charmingly. It was Kim Hyuna, the Hufflepuff house ghost. “A boy your age should watch his liquid.”

Seonghwa blushed, laughing embarrassed. “Ah. Yes, of course.” He eyed his almost empty drink, a thought crossing his mind. “Um, do you know Kim Hongjoong by chance? Hufflepuff Prefect?” he asked then stupidly.

Hyuna smiled kindly at him, a bit of mischief dancing in her gaze at the question. “There are a couple of Prefects, but yes, I do know of Mr Kim. Very energetic and impulsive for a Hufflepuff, but thoughtful and kind as well.”

Seonghwa swallowed thickly. Those wouldn’t be adjectives he’d use to describe Hongjoong, but somehow, thinking about them and Hongjoong together, made sense—in a very strange and _definitely_ non sober way. He smiled faintly at her.

“Thoughtful?” he echoed, curious what had prompted her to call Hongjoong thoughtful.

“Ah, yes, it takes me back some years. When he began growing out that ridiculous mullet of his, but looked so angelic and innocent,” she swooned and Seonghwa laughed. Hongjoong never had looked angelic, there was too much havoc hidden in his bright eyes. “A third year student, Muggle born, was crying because they had come out to their parents. For Christmas, their parents didn’t let them come home, refusing to accept their new pronouns.” She shook her head in disappointment. “I was born in the seventeenth century, and it was not hard to adapt to the newer times. Some people just refuse to accept progress and change, such a shame.” Seonghwa agreed, nodding his head, and thought of his dad’s reaction to his own coming out. The displeased twitch of his lips, the frown when he found Seonghwa’s pride flag hanging above his bed. It never was anything aggressive, not an outright _no_ , but it wasn’t welcoming or unconditional acceptance either. “Mr Kim comforted the third year, inviting them even to his annual Christmas hang out with his friends. Such a generous thing to do, to recognize that person’s pain and loneliness, and at such a critical time, too.”

“Yes, indeed,” Seonghwa found himself agreeing; he wasn’t sure if it was because he did agree with Hyuna’s perception of Hongjoong, or if he was simply following the flow of her story.

“I remember my coming out,” she said, her voice laced with sadness. “Similar to that third year’s, sadly, people thought I was crazy for liking both men _and_ women. _Miss Hyuna, you mustn’t like both, that’s the Devil at work_ ,” she imitated someone’s statement in a shrill and scolding voice, then rolled her eyes. “Buffoons.”

“My mom took my coming out rather well,” Seonghwa told her for some reason. “My dad not so much.”

“Perhaps he will come around,” Hyuna said, giving him a hopeful smile.

“Perhaps.” Seonghwa shrugged. “Back to Hongjoong though. What else can you tell me about him?”

She grinned at him. “Ah, are you one of his admirers? Aiming to court him?” she inquired, and Seonghwa sputtered, nearly dropping the flute of champagne.

“N-No!” he told her firmly, shaking his head violently. “No, I definitely am not trying to court him. That’s absurd. We’re enemies!” He laughed, awkwardly, and blindly reached out for another flute. “Where, ah, did you get the idea I was courting him anyway?”

“Oh, honey,” she said with a smile. “You’re all alone at this party and you’re asking me about him,” she pointed out compellingly, but Seonghwa shook his head. “Besides that whole rivalry thing is adorable. Masked obsession.”

“No, it’s very much real,” he insisted, now that he had stopped shaking his head the room was spinning a bit. He set down his drink on the table behind himself.

“Your name is Park Seonghwa, right? May I call you Seonghwa?” He nodded. “Seonghwa, there’s a fine line between your rivalry and trying to get his attention by all means through childish behavior. Real hate looks very different, trust me,” Hyuna whispered to him, she gave him a warm smile. “You’ll figure it out on your own, I suppose.” She moved her hand to clap him on his shoulder, then stopped, a bit startled that she had tried to do such a human gesture when she had been dead for centuries. She smiled wistfully at him. “It was nice talking to you tonight, Seonghwa, but I must go, my husband awaits me.” Another ghost stood a few feet away, he had long blonde hair, a grin dancing on his face; he gave Seonghwa a short wave of his hand.

“Yes, of course. Have a lovely remainder of the night, Hyuna.”

She turned around, giving him one last look. “Seonghwa, sometimes in life, we meet people that are beautiful, and others will be magnetic and powerful; but once in a while we encounter people that are _iridescent_ ,” she told him with a knowing smile. “When you meet someone like that, don’t be foolish.”

“I— _What_?” he stuttered out, taken aback by her words, his brain too foggy in that instant to comprehend what she was trying to tell him. Hyuna only smiled at him and joined her husband.

**~*~**

It was later when they stumbled into the Kitchens, Seonghwa hushing his friends as Wooyoung giggled way too loudly. San tried to shut him up. Jongho was grumbling angrily, not in the mood to put up with his tipsy friends. Yeosang was laughing and poking his finger into Jongho’s cheek, amused by just doing that, and the Slytherin had too much of a soft spot for him to slap Yeosang’s hand away.

To their dismay, the Kitchens were occupied by none other than Hongjoong, Mingi, and Yunho, having a small party of their own—possibly just having left the Gryffindor rave.

“Funny seeing you here,” Hongjoong slurred, standing up from where he had been sitting, and staggered over to the newcomers. He tapped his index finger at Seonghwa’s chest, who looked down, offended by this action.

He slapped the finger away. “Why’s it funny?” he demanded to know, his speech equally as slurred.

“We were just talking about you,” Hongjoong revealed. “And Yeosang.”

“Me?” Yeosang piped up, incredulous. He stopped poking Jongho’s cheek to stand in front of Hongjoong. “What could you possibly have discussed about me?”

“ _Nothing_ , nothing at all,” Yunho interjected, most likely the least tipsy one out of them all. “We were just complaining about your pranks; and planning… _stuff_.”

Hongjoong shushed him, trying to place his finger on Yunho’s lips but he missed by a lot. “Don’t spill our secrets!”

“I’m not. I’m preventing _you_ from doing so, though,” Yunho told him.

“Oh.” Hongjoong giggled. “Thank you.”

Seonghwa was looking at the Hufflepuff. His hair wasn’t red anymore, instead it was a muted gray, and it was shorter too. It was shaved by the sides and the back, only on top longer, and falling across his forehead. The piercings adorning his ears much more visible like this, adding on to the bad boy image that he so clearly was aiming for. This haircut made his face more visible, too, and his skin looked more tan than with the red hair. When he smiled at something Yunho had said, Seonghwa was caught up staring at his pearly white (and oddly sharp looking) teeth, peeking out from behind his pink lips. 

“Hwa, you’re staring,” Jongho whispered to him, elbowing him. “Like _very_ obviously.”

Seonghwa slowly and lazily dragged his eyes away from Hongjoong’s lips, to look at his Slytherin friend. He raised his eyebrows in question. “What?”

“You were staring at Hongjoong. In a _very_ _gay_ way, I might add,” he hissed at him, making sure no one was listening in. “Are you—? Do you have a crush on him?”

He laughed, slapping Jongho’s shoulder. “Don’t be ridiculous!” But even in his tipsy state he could hear how high and fake his laughter sounded; he swallowed. “You’re funny, Jongho.”

“Oof,” the Slytherin groaned, rubbing his shoulder, and glared at him.

 _Iridescent_ , Hyuna had said.

When Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong, the warm lights made his features look all soft and comfortable, and his eyes seemed darker than usual, and mellow. His easygoing grin, never leaving his mouth, as if it was glued to his lips. But it wasn’t just his singular characteristics that made Seonghwa stop and stare, it were all of them put together to make out one Kim Hongjoong; to enunciate the sparkling way his eyes shone when he spoke to his friends, the melodic sound of his voice and laughter, and the overall luminescence of his personality, that Seonghwa must have heavily missed the past years. If not, he wouldn’t be so surprised now, as he found himself completely captivated by Hongjoong.

“Dude…” Jongho muttered. “You’re a lost cause. I won’t even try anymore.” He walked off to sit by a different table, tired and in need of sleep.

Seonghwa realized that perhaps Hyuna had been right. And not just about Hongjoong being iridescent.

Hongjoong must’ve noticed him staring because he looked away from his friends to find Seonghwa’s eyes, and he didn’t look away. He just stared, tilting his head in confusion, as he searched the Ravenclaw’s face. _Something_ must have been reflected in Seonghwa’s eyes, for Hongjoong’s gaze was full of curiosity and awe, and for a moment he seemed to be just as enraptured by Seonghwa, as he was vice versa.

Then the spell broke, something hot and cold ran through Seonghwa’s body, and he blinked rapidly, eyes flitting all over the kitchen. He felt his cheeks grow warm, his ears burning already.

“Party is over! You have to hurry out of here!” San warned them, moving his hands wildly. “Mr Byun is on the loose and he’s headed for the kitchens!” A chorus of _shits_ and _fucks_ echoed through the room and the group of teenagers left quickly.

**~*~**

“It has happened!”

Seonghwa blinked his eyes open, shut them again immediately when he was met by bright light. He had, in that brief second, made out a crowd of people gathered around him. The color yellow very present in his surroundings. He had a faint recollection of the previous night, and as he tried to remember the happenings he remained closed eyed and lying down on whatever, slightly uncomfortable, surface he had slept on.

“I told you all it would happen,” the person that had woken him up said, his tone self sufficient. “Gunhak, you owe me 50 Galleons!”

“Oh, piss off, Keonhee,” said another voice—presumably Gunhak.

There was some rustling and the whispers around Seonghwa grew louder. 

“Isn’t that the Ravenclaw Captain?” a girl asked, a light giggle following her question. “I can’t wait to tell Chuu about this, we’ve been betting on all that unresolved tension since third year.”

“Wait for me, Lip,” another girl called out. “I don’t want to be here when Hongjoong comes down and they have the talk…”

A chorus of agreeing hums raised in the room and slowly the whispers disappeared, shuffling footsteps resonated until it was bearably quiet again. Only then, did Seonghwa dare to open his eyes, a light suspicion on where he was and what had happened crossing his mind.

He was indeed in the Hufflepuff common room, lying on one of their couches. A couple of first and second years were huddled together by a table, eyeing Seonghwa with mirth, and playing what seemed to be Wizarding Chess. A fire cackled somewhere, putting the room at a pleasant temperature. From the ceiling hung paper bats, and as Seonghwa got up from the couch, his head spinning still, a migraine growing behind his eyelids, he spotted carved pumpkins standing around the common room. 

He let out a groan, passing a hand through his messy hair. “ _Shit_ ,” he muttered and stumbled over to the exit.

“Ah, Park,” someone called out. At the top of a staircase stood Mingi, his eyebrows raised and his lips curved into a smirk. His blue hair—which he had kept after the prank, for some unknown reason—stood up in different directions. He held two mugs containing something steaming. “Leaving already?”

Seonghwa nodded, which was a mistake because the pounding behind his skull only grew. “Well, yes, obviously. Why would I stay?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.” He still smirked, but he walked over to Seonghwa to hand him the mugs. “A remedy against hangovers. You look like you might need it; more than me, anyway. Kang as well”

Seonghwa eyed the mugs, distrustfully, but took them out of Mingi’s hand to sniff them. There didn’t appear to be anything suspicious about them. They smelled slightly of orange and vanilla, one had a strong scent of coconut. 

“Thanks…” he said, smiling tight lipped at the tall Hufflepuff. “I’ll be on my way then.”

“Good call. Hongjoong is in a terrible mood. See you in class,” Mingi called after him, overly cheerful, which raised even more suspicion within the Ravenclaw. 

He left the Hufflepuff common room in a hurry, he had to get changed into school robes, grab his school utensils, and possibly, if there was time for it, a quick shower. In the basement corridor, he bumped into someone, who was standing near the dungeons.

“Eugh,” the person groaned out. It was Yeosang, looking pale and tired, shivering despite the Slytherin scarf wrapped around his neck and chin. “There you are, I’ve been waiting for you. Oh, what’s that?” he asked pointing at the mugs.

“A hangover remedy, do you want one?” Seonghwa asked, offering one of the mugs to his friend. He wasn’t a big fan of coconut anyway. 

Yeosang nodded his head, taking the concoction gratefully. “It smells delicious.” He took a sip, humming pleasantly. “Come on, let’s go, or we will be late.”

The two Ravenclaw boys made their way through the, now slowly filling up with students and Hogwarts staff, corridors and staircases until they reached the Ravenclaw Tower. The bronze eagle welcomed them brightly, noticing, of course, their undone states, and let out hoarse laughter.

“Ah, to be young again!” he croaked.

“Just give us the riddle!” Seonghwa protested. He had Ibuprofen lying around somewhere in his room that he desperately wanted to intake. He couldn’t show up at class with this headache.

“All right,” the eagle cleared its throat, but before it could start its riddle the door opened, thankfully, and a pair of third years stepped out, holding the door open for them.

They rushed upstairs into their room to change, Yeonjun already on his way out. Seonghwa quickly rid himself of the clothes he had worn to the party and searched for a clean button up. Once he was done getting dressed, the blue and silver tie beneath his gray sweatshirt, he searched for his Ibuprofen, but he stopped when he noticed Yeosang sitting rigidly on his bed, dressed messily, and staring out of the window dreamily.

He turned around to look at Seonghwa. “Come on, hurry up. I must see him again,” Yeosang urged him then, standing up. His tie was loosely hanging around his neck.

Seonghwa paused in his movements, cocked his head, and asked, “Who must you see again?”

“Mingi, of course!” Yeosang answered, as if it was an obvious statement. In his hand he still held the mug of hangover remedy.

It dawned on Seonghwa then. He moved quickly, snatching the mug out of his friend’s hand, who yelped in protest. He emptied the liquid over the plant that Changbin was trying to grow out. 

“Fucking… hell,” he muttered and searched for his phone so he could text his friends about this emergency. His migraine only grew. 

Yeosang was protesting that they were going to be late to the Great Hall and he would miss Mingi.

“He will wonder where I am! I can’t have him worry like this!” Yeosang made a run for the door, but Seonghwa blocked him. Then, with a strength he didn’t know Yeosang possessed, the smaller boy pushed him aside and ran out of the boy dorms, past the Common Room, and out of the Ravenclaw Tower.

Seonghwa cursed, sent out a quick text to his friends explaining them that Yeosang had possibly been slipped a love potion and was now on the loose, running through the castle to find Mingi. Then he rushed out of the room as well.

 _Mingi is going to pay for this_ , he thought angrily. He was glad he didn’t drink the liquid himself.

“Fuckers,” he muttered as he dodged students, craning his neck to get a better view of the fifth floor corridor, but Yeosang was nowhere to be found. When Seonghwa approached the staircases he didn’t spot his Ravenclaw friend either, but he did see Wooyoung, looking up at him with an alarmed look. He wildly moved his hands and pointed at the general direction of the Great Hall. “Stop him!” he yelled at the Gryffindor, who, with a quick nod, bounced and ran downstairs to the Entrance Hall.

When Seonghwa entered the Great Hall minutes later, Jongho behind him, eyes wide with worry, there wasn’t any worrisome or dramatic scene unfolding, much to his relief. He saw Wooyoung and Yeosang by the Gryffindor table, the former having a tight grip on the latter’s neck, whispering urgently to him. Jongho rushed over to them, whereas Seonghwa walked to the Hufflepuff table, where Mingi sat alone, a satisfactory smile on his face.

Yunho was with him, steering his coffee as he read the _Daily Prophet_.

“Ah, Park, nice to see you again!” Mingi welcomed him. “I’m sad to inform you that Hongjoong will be late—” he trailed off, looking at the entrance of the Great Hall. “Nevermind, there he comes!” He waved at the Hufflepuff Prefect, who looked tired.

His gray hair hung flat over his forehead, still slightly wet from a shower. His skin was pale and the bags under his eyes prominent, his eyelids were half shut. He did sneer at Seonghwa, though, and shouldered past him to sit down. It was a weak attempt.

“What’s he doing here?” Hongjoong asked, ill tempered. He grabbed a plain toast and bit down, bread crumbs falling down on his robes. “It’s too early for your bullshit, Park,” he grumbled, addressing Seonghwa.

“He looks like he could use a hangover remedy himself,” Seonghwa muttered. “Which is why I am here. What did you give me this morning, Song?”

Mingi smiled, pouring milk over his bowl of cereals and dry fruits, and other healthy things.

“Why does it matter, you clearly didn’t drink it,” he said with a shrug, but a satisfied smirk was pulling at his lips.

Hongjoong was eyeing them curiously. Yunho was still reading the newspaper, shooting them the occasional worried glance.

“I have not,” Seonghwa agreed, then he turned around to look at the Gryffindor table, “but Yeosang has.” He nodded his head at his Ravenclaw friend sitting with the sea of red and gold, sticking out like a sore thumb together with Jongho’s silver and green robes. “And he seems to greatly fancy you, Song Mingi.”

Mingi choked on his cereals, his eyes widened comically. Yunho slapped his friend’s back, a small smile on his face. He folded the _Daily Prophet_ and looked up at Seonghwa.

“Kang drank the love potion?” he inquired, suddenly interested. “Oh, that’s hilarious.”

“It’s not. He’s behaving irrationally,” Seonghwa shot back, irritated. “If we don’t act quick this can backfire, and it might haunt him forever if he does something embarrassing.”

“So, what? We all have embarrassing stories,” Hongjoong told him, a small smirk growing on his lips, a healthy color returning to his face. “And it’s not as if he’s _actually_ in love with Mingi—”

“You don’t understand,” Seonghwa insisted. “This _will_ haunt him. Just tell me what you gave him,” he addressed the last bit at Mingi.

“Fine,” the tall Hufflepuff agreed and rummaged through his robes. He pulled out a small vial with a label that read _Short Term Love Potion_ ; it was the potion from _Zonko’s Joke Shop_.

Seonghwa grabbed it. “Asshole,” he mumbled rudely and left quickly, gesturing at Wooyoung.

The Gryffindor pulled Yeosang with him, Jongho making sure that he wasn’t going to escape his grip and run over to the Hufflepuff table.

Yeosang was wildly waving his hand. “Mingi!” he called out excitedly.

Mingi ducked his head, looking down at his breakfast.

“This is terrible!” Wooyoung huffed, glaring at the students that shot them weirded out looks. “I will murder Song, I swear by-by Merlin’s—”

“Save it,” Seonghwa interrupted him. “Let’s meet in our D&D classroom and think of a good prank. And I mean a good one, this year we’ve been a bit lax, but that stops now!” he gritted out, angry that he had lowered his walls, that he had been having all these distracting thoughts regarding Hongjoong. It needed to stop, now! 

“I agree,” Jongho said.

“Hwa!” Yeosang called out, batting his eyelashes at him. “Will you give this to Mingi!” He held out a slip of paper and pressed it into Seonghwa’s hand. “It’s an important note for him.”

Seonghwa folded it open, grimacing as he read the words. “Sure,” he lied to Yeosang.

“You’re an angel! Thank you! You’ll be the best man at mine and Mingi’s wedding!”

“Right.”

“This is revolting,” Jongho bemoaned, reading the letter himself. “I hope Yeosang never actually falls in love.”

“That’s… a bit harsh,” Wooyoung said, frowning. “Love isn’t that bad.”

“You’re saying that because you’re in love with San,” Jongho countered. “But I know. I know love isn’t bad, this letter is just… Hopefully this is just the potion talking.”

“Probably.” Seonghwa got his wand out, holding the note, he flicked his wand at it, muttering a quiet, “ _Incendio_ ,” and the love letter was consumed by flames.

They reached the Hospital Wing after a few minutes and pushed Yeosang inside. Madame Eunji came rushing to them, leaving her breakfast, an alarmed look on her face.

“What happened to Mr Kang?” she asked, concerned.

“He was slipped a minor love potion,” Seonghwa explained, holding up Zonko’s vial.

She took it out of his hand, reading the label, and shook her head in discontent. “I had hoped these things were banned,” she said with a sigh. “They don’t do any good.”

“And they’re annoying,” Jongho grumbled.

Madame Eunji laughed at that. “They can be, yes. But don’t mistake that,” she nodded at Yeosang's befuddled state, “for real love. Love is much gentler, elegant, and powerful than this.”

“I know.” Jongho sighed. “Come on, Yeo.” He grabbed the Ravenclaw by his shoulders and guided him to one of the beds. “Madame Eunji is going to give you a potion for courage, so you can talk to your beloved Mingi.”

“That’s awesome!” Yeosang said, eagerly sitting on the hospital bed, and stared expectantly at Madame Eunji. 

She handed handed him a vial, the liquid in it dark. He wrinkled his nose at it, but downed all of it in one go; then Madam Eunji pushed his shoulders so he’d lie down on the bed. She brushed his fringe out of his face delicately.

“He’s going to fall asleep shortly,” she told them. “By lunch he should be fine. Mr Park, I’ll write you a note for the classes he’ll miss.” She sat down at her desk, scribbling on a parchment.

“Thank you, Madame Eunji,” he said, taking the note.

“Now, all of you, I believe you have some classes to attend!” The three boys left the Hospital Wing in a hurry, each going in a different direction.

**~*~**

Song Mingi often wondered what his experience at Hogwarts would have been like had he not met Hongjoong all those years ago, had they not met Yunho in their first year, had they not started their rivalry with the Ravenclaws and Jeong Wooyoung.

He wondered what people he’d be hanging out with. If he would have any friends at all; if he would have even made it to his fifth year so unscathed.

Of course, at thirteen it had turned to the worse and when the summer before his third year had begun, he had wondered if he’d be all right. If it had not been for Yunho and his accepting family, he probably wouldn’t have been. Someone like Mingi getting kicked out of home wasn’t such an unusual story. But Yunho had saved him off of the streets, offered him a place—a _home_. The warmth with which the Jeongs had taken him in was something so selfless and incredibly kind, it had made him cry at the time.

He had been _only_ thirteen, not filled with as much hatred towards himself as he had been when he had started his studies at Hogwarts, but it had only been the start. The beginning of something new and beautiful. With fifteen he felt different towards himself, he knew he deserved a place just like everyone else in and outside of Hogwarts. Mingi started to understand his worth now, all thanks to his amazing friends and how they had eased his life, especially when they had begun their third year.

They had committed to him in a way he never had believed someone would, and Mingi had known then that he’d never let them go and that he’d be forever in their debt, forever grateful. Even Yunho, who didn’t like breaking rules, had broken such a big rule then. They could lose their privileges to magic if anyone were to discover them.

It was unspoken between them, Hongjoong and Yunho knew how grateful Mingi was and what it meant to him. 

“I’d go to the end of the world for you,” Hongjoong had said at the time, when they had been in a bathroom down by the dungeons, shielded by the moonlight.

“If it were the other way around I know you’d do the same for me, Mingi,” Yunho had supplemented, squeezing his shoulder tightly with a comforting smile.

And that was how they were: uncomplicated and having each other’s backs, no matter what.

Mingi never thought that he’d question these values, that _any_ of them would question this, but then their fifth year at Hogwarts had begun and things slowly had shifted after the end of September, when Mingi’s curse proved to put him in a terrible mood and he heard a voice in his head that called to him, pulling him out of the castle and away from his friends, away from everything he knew.

Two nights after Halloween, Mingi found himself wandering the corridors. _Come out to play_ , the voice murmured in his mind, much like he remembered it had done all those years ago on the night his life had changed. It made him shudder and wish it wasn’t as magnetic, and yet he had left his bed, sneaking out of the Hufflepuff dorms.

It wasn’t exactly late, he had been wandering the corridors and grounds during much later hours, but everyone was already asleep.

Or so he thought, but he heard voices by the Entrance Hall, and when he peaked around the corner he was surprised to find the Ravenclaw Ice King together with Professor Im and Headmistress Min, speaking quietly. He tried to listen in.

Yeosang and Professor Im were soaked, the former’s black coat decorated with tiny raindrops that shimmered in the candle lights, while Professor Im’s trench coat was forming a puddle on the stone floor where she was standing on. 

At first Mingi thought that perhaps they had caught Yeosang sneaking around, but it didn’t seem to be like that at all. Their conversation was casual.

“—Saint Mungo’s is really helping,” Professor Im said, nodding her head proudly in the Ravenclaw’s direction.

“Then I shall reconsider your offer, Mr Kang,” said Headmistress Min. “I am sorry that we didn’t cater to your needs since the beginning.”

“I didn’t say anything until the end of last term either, you couldn’t have known,” Yeosang told her with a slight shake of his head.

“We are teachers, we should’ve noticed,” Professor Im said, a disappointed frown forming between her brows. “We will pay more attention from now on,” she promised him.

Headmistress Min nodded her head solemnly, then turned to look at Yeosang with a bit of a stern look, but still her eyes were warm. “I believe it is getting late, Mr Kang. You should head to the Ravenclaw Tower and rest.”

“Yes.” Yeosang bowed his head. “Good night,” he added quietly before leaving up the stairs to the maze of stairways.

Professor Im and Headmistress Min went towards a door nearby, that lead to the professors’s offices.

Mingi waited a few beats, until the corridors were safely empty, then he sprinted up the stairs to chase after Yeosang. He wasn’t exactly sure what he hoped out of the interaction, he knew Yeosang wouldn’t answer his questions, but it was better than to follow the voice that urged him out of Hogwarts’s safety.

 _Come with me Mingi, you know it’s your place. I made you, you belong to me_ , it was saying.

He spotted Yeosang walking up a flight of stairs, by the first floor, and he hastily followed him, taking two steps at a time—blessed be his long limbs. 

He was making a lot of noise, he knew that, which could end terribly if Caretaker Byun was to be around, but thankfully the castle was silent, only the faint whisper of a heavy downpour filtering through the open windows—even the paintings were mostly asleep. Yeosang turned around, startled, when he heard Mingi approach.

The Ravenclaw stopped the moment he saw him, tilting his head curiously. He looked tired, his eyes red rimmed, and his skin paler than usual. There wasn’t any hatred or despair in his look, like it usually was when he saw Mingi.

“Oh, it’s you,” he mumbled.

“What are you doing out of bed, little Ice King?” he asked.

Yeosang scowled. “It doesn’t concern you; and I could ask you the same thing.”

“My answer would be the same as yours,” he told him, leaning against the railing of the stairs, and stared down at Yeosang.

 _Come with me_ , the voice said. Mingi gripped the railing tightly to prevent himself from giving in.

“I really don’t want to speak to you right now. I’m tired.” Yeosang made to turn around, but Mingi was quicker, reaching out his hand to grab the other’s wrist, and stopped him. Yeosang’s eyebrows shot up and he looked into Mingi’s eyes, an uncommon occurrence, he usually avoided anyone’s eyes and always kept his gaze low. “What?”

 _Think of something good_ , he thought to himself.

He smirked, it wasn’t as confident or provocative as usual; _come out of the castle,_ the voice nearly screamed in his head. “How was it like?” he asked.

The Ice King squinted his eyes, the nickname fitting as his stare turned cold. “How was _what_?”

“Being in love with me?” Mingi wanted to know, enjoying the way Yeosang faltered, color rising to his cheeks. It was almost— _almost_ —enough. _Join me, Mingi_ , the voice beckoned, terribly hoarse and non-human.

“I wasn’t in love with you!” Yeosang defended himself. “You slipped me a potion, you asshole!”

“No, I gave Park two concoctions to ease his hangover, one of them had a love potion. It wasn’t part of the plan that you’d be the one to drink it.”

Yeosang squinted his eyes, trying to make sense of his words. “Well, I did.” Yeosang crossed the arms in front of his chest, his attention only on Mingi. It felt powerful.

“It is said that these potions garner to what you desire deep down, so, really, the fact that it was you who drank it means that you actually—”

Yeosang took a step forward, his wand drawn out within milliseconds and held against Mingi’s throat. “Fucking dare to finish that sentence, Song. I swear I will hex you right here and you’ll get found by Mr Buyn.”

Mingi had known Yeosang for five years now, mostly as a quiet and calm boy that never raised his wand against anyone; who didn’t burst out in anger or let himself be easily irritated. But in all these years, Mingi always had managed to just tip the glass over and break whatever walls Yeosang kept up to protect and hide himself away from everyone else. Mingi wasn’t sure if it was a curse or a blessing, one thing was certain, though, it made him _special_.

“Come on, say what you wanted to say, I dare you,” Yeosang hissed, inching closer, his eyes ablaze.

Mingi swallowed, suddenly growing aware of their proximity and the way Yeosang’s face was rather angular, his nose curved downwards like the tip of his chin. Different from the boy he had been at eleven, with the full cheeks and round, innocent face. The blond, curly hair was parted in the middle, and it gave Yeosang a bit of an angelic appearance. Except if he was an angel, it was a very angry one.

“I-I,” Mingi stuttered, frowning as he felt his ears grow warm. He shoved Yeosang away, drawing out his own wand to point it at the Ravenclaw. “It’s late,” he muttered out.

Just like the fire in Yeosang had come alive in the blink of an eye, it faded just as quickly, and he was left standing there and staring at Mingi in confusion.

Silence spread over them, both standing in offensive positions. Mingi finally lowered his wand, sighing, and then turned around. He ran down the stairs, hearing Yeosang mumble a quiet _what the fuck_. His heart was in his throat when he reached the basement, walking to the Hufflepuff common room.

Mingi didn’t even realize that the voice calling out for him was completely gone from his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so,, Mingi???? Yeosang?? Mingi AND Yeosang?????
> 
> You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/hhhjoong) and [cc](https://curiouscat.me/mist_)!! ^^  
> \- jack💫


	6. Violent Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And on today's news, we get the 5th years studying the _Amortentia_ potion! One word: oof👀

Fate was cruel.

When Seonghwa and Yeosang walked through the corridor down by the dungeons, towards their _Potions_ classroom, they would’ve never thought that their assignment would be tied to the incident that had occurred the morning after Halloween. The green board read LOVE POTIONS in big, bold letters. Yeosang stopped by the door of the classroom, eyeing the words with a haunted expression on his face. His gaze flickered over to Mingi, who was already inside, wearing an equally as haunted look. Hongjoong, who stood by Mingi’s side, looked just bored.

Seonghwa passed a soothing hand over Yeosang’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. Barely anyone knows about it, we brought you to Madame Eunji in time—”

“It’s not that,” Yeosang interrupted him, sighing, but he entered the classroom. Seonghwa followed him.

“Then what?” he asked, curious.

Yeosang eyed Mingi and Hongjoong, then looked back at Seonghwa. “What do you think will you smell?”

Seonghwa frowned. “Huh?”

“When we brow this potion today, what do you think will it smell like to you?”

“Probably nothing. I’m not in love with anyone,” he answered, hoping his words were true, but his eyes too moved to where Mingi and Hongjoong were at, both Hufflepuffs already staring back.

“But what if it does? What if it unexpectedly has a specific scent to you?” Yeosang insisted, his cheeks were pink now. “I just can’t stop thinking about _why_ on earth the potion smelled alluring to me. It didn’t to you.”

“Yes, it smelled like coconut. I don’t like coconut.”

Yeosang contemplated those words, clearly thinking something over. “I never really thought much about coconut—”

“Everyone, please settled down with your recent partners for today’s potion. I have noticed those worked well together and for today you’ll need that,” Professor Shin spoke up as the classroom was filled. “We talked about _Amortentia_ during the previous class, the most powerful love potion in existence,” she said, a small inquisitive smile on her face. “I will give the best two potions a higher punctuation; and those brave enough to reveal what they can smell in the potion will receive extra points for their respective houses!”

“Oh, boy,” Seonghwa muttered, feeling the tips of his ears grow hot. This could only end up a big mess.

“I’ve never craved death more than I do now,” Yeosang whispered back. “At least I’m not paired up with Mingi this time.”

Seonghwa hummed, then grimaced. “But I am with Hongjoong.” He shuddered involuntarily, wanting to say it was because he felt grossed out by the prospect, but something else lingered on the forefront of his mind. He swallowed and hoped his friend hadn’t caught on.

“Good luck with that,” Yeosang told him as he moved away to sit with Keonhee.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, and dejectedly waited for Hongjoong to come forward, he wasn’t going to move. He saw Hongjoong give him an annoyed look, but the Hufflepuff did move towards him. “Hi.”

Hongjoong shot him a weirded out look. “Hi…” he greeted back, hesitantly. “Is there like a—” He glanced around, tapped the cauldron with the tip of his boot, and then warily started to pull out his materials. “I hope for your benefit that you’re not trying to prank me right now.”

“Dude,” Seonghwa said. “I only said ‘hi’, I was trying to be _fucking_ polite.”

“Doubtful.”

He rolled his eyes. “Seriously, relax. I’m not trying to mess this up either.”

“I need a good grade in _Potions_ , okay? I will kill you if you ruin this for me, Park.”

Seonghwa exhaled, feeling stressed and annoyed. “I’d like to see you try,” he only said back weakly. 

Before Hongjoong could say anything else, he moved to the cupboard to grab the essentials for _Amortentia_. A lot of rose related products, and Ashwinder eggs; he carried what he could back to their table, where Hongjoong had already gotten started in heating up the cauldron. He stared at Seonghwa, then at his armful of ingredients, and for a moment he appeared to be anxious. He took out a few ingredients, silently getting started on handling them for the potion. Seonghwa joined in on the silent working atmosphere; it was strange and tense, and nothing like their usual dynamics, where they’d purposefully would rile one another up, but somehow, since the Halloween encounter, something had shifted between them.

Seonghwa, for one, knew why _he_ felt so on edge around the Hufflepuff, the words Hyuna had told him still rang in his ears. Even if it had been nearly ten days since then, he still looked at Hongjoong and thought about how he saw more than he ever had before. That he saw him in a different, appealing light. And above all, Seonghwa’s heart shook in his chest whenever their eyes met for more than a few seconds.

It wasn’t unusual for them to hold staring contests, usually done under the premise of assessing dominance, but these days it felt different. Seonghwa really didn’t like it, but he couldn’t help himself, it was like a drug, wanting to meet Hongjoong’s gaze. Look at those dark brown eyes and get lost in them; wanting to see not hate but something else when they looked back at him. 

It was ridiculous.

“What are you doing?” Hongjoong hissed, elbowing him. “Stop staring at the potion and actually _do_ something.”

Seonghwa glared at him, but he felt himself flush terribly. “Shut up!” he snapped, but began reading _Amortentia_ ’s instructions again so he could keep helping.

“Real mature.” Hongjoong rolled his eyes, but he too seemed to have blushed.

“You’re very annoying,” Seonghwa told him honestly, relishing when the Hufflepuff _tsked_ and looked two seconds away from… punching him? Seonghwa wasn’t sure.

Hongjoong’s gaze was intense, his cheeks flushed, and his lips parted—very unlike his usual cool and collected, or, when in Seonghwa’s company, annoyed and angry demeanor. 

“I see the first results are coming in,” Professor Shin said, hovering over Mingi and Yeonjun’s shoulders as she stared into their cauldron. She gave them a proud smile and moved to the front of the classroom, where she let her gaze travel around the classroom. “Who would like to volunteer and tell me what it is that they smell?” Yeeun raised a shaky hand. “Yes, Miss Jang?” Professor Shin encouraged her.

“I get the scent of-of vanilla, wet soil—like after it rains,” she frowned, as if surprised by the scent, “and er, parchment. As well as oranges. Yeah, definitely oranges.” She swallowed, looking decidedly at her cauldron.

“Very well; five points for Ravenclaw!” She smiled warmly at Yeeun. “Anyone else?”

To Seonghwa’s surprise Hongjoong raised his hand.

“I can smell, um, hairspray and something sweet and fruity like, confiture maybe?” He flushed at this, tapping his finger nervously on the table. “Ah, there’s something else, a perfume, but I don’t—I don’t know which one…” he trailed off, growing very rigid, with his eyes wide.

“Very good! Thank you, Mr Kim. Five points to Hufflepuff!” She looked around the classroom, and another student raised their hand to reveal what they smelled.

Seonghwa allowed himself to discern the scent he got from the cauldron, there was something comforting and familiar at first, but then he got cinnamon and possibly apple—or some other fruit. There was something enthralling about it, about the unfamiliarity of the scent and the alluring sweetness of it, it drew Seonghwa in. He bent over the cauldron, to get a better whiff, so he could identify whom it might belong to. Who it was that his heart seemed to—

“Whoah, careful, Park,” Hongjoong said, amused, and grabbed him by his shoulder to pull him back.

Seonghwa sputtered, realizing what had happened. He shrugged Hongjoong’s hand off, and felt himself blush in embarrassment—and something else.

“I wasn’t—” he tried to lie but failed, coming up empty on an excuse. “It’s not what you think.”

“To me it seemed as if you wanted to jump right into the cauldron; is it so intoxicating you can’t resist?” he wondered, a small smirk on his face. “Your unlucky gentleman, hm?”

Seonghwa glowered at him, balling his hands into fists. “Shut up, you dick.”

“Ah, Mr Song, you want to go next?” Professor Shin interrupted their quarrel, both of them whipped their heads in Mingi’s direction.

Hongjoong had still a playful smile on his lips, he looked curiously at his friend; Seonghwa, on the other hand, was rather nervous. He squinted his eyes at the tall Hufflepuff, then looked at Yeosang, who was stirring his _Amortentia_ as he seemed to hold a fairly comfortable conversation with Keonhee, not paying attention to what was happening.

“Yes, well,” Mingi began, clearing his throat, “I get the scent of parchment and… Huh? I think, almond? Something chocolaty too,” he finished with a shrug. 

Seonghwa exhaled in relief, he had thought that Mingi would tease Yeosang again. After the love potion incident, Mingi had brought it up multiple times to bother and taunt the Ravenclaw, smug about the whole ordeal. He even had claimed to have been the one to defeat the Ice King’s perfect image, showing that he was just as breakable as everyone else.

Mingi was horrible for having spun Yeosang so out of his comfort zone; thankfully no one had really seen him make a fool of himself while under the effect of the love potion. (Revenge was still on though.) Yeosang didn’t seem too rattled by it anymore; he disliked Mingi maybe more now, but that was about it.

Seonghwa was shaken out of his thoughts when he felt a light touch on his forearm, he looked to his left, where Hongjoong was staring at him with wide eyes.

“Um, Park?” he mumbled, pointing his finger at something behind Seonghwa so he turned around.

Yeosang held his chin high, his hands tightening around the edges of the table, as he spoke. “I get the scent of coconut,” he revealed, his voice quiet but it wasn’t trembling. “Sandalwood? I think it’s sandalwood.” He exhaled and nodded, signalizing he was done. 

“Ah, that’s all?” Professor Shin asked, surprised.

“No, but the other scents are my friends, Hogwarts, chocolate and other sweets, the Library… Coconut and sandalwood are definitely not something I smell on a regular basis—Not something I’m familiar with,” he explained, his tone was firm, gaining confidence the more he spoke, the classroom was enraptured by his words. It was rare that Yeosang participated, even more so voluntarily and sharing more than a handful of words.

Professor Shin nodded her head appreciatively. “Yes. You all will have noticed that there are those scents we associate with comfort and home, and then, for some, there might be something _else_. Which we might know whom it belongs to, for others it can be a surprise,” she told the class, her eyes momentarily stopping on Hongjoong and Seonghwa. Then she looked at Yeosang again, “Thank you, Mr Kang. Seven points to Ravenclaw!”

Half an hour later the students left the classroom in a daze, some with their heads bent together and whispering quietly as their eyes watched their surroundings nervously. 

Seonghwa felt pleasant and a bit sleepy. He was smiling distractedly, not paying attention to where he was going, and ended up bumping into a solid something.

When he looked up, it was as though time stopped and the scent of the _Amortentia_ potion was back a tenfold stronger, lying thick in his skull. He swallowed, not daring to look into those dark brown eyes that he was so acquaintanced with, and that he was supposed to hate so much, but for days now he failed to do so.

“Sorry,” he mumbled out, grabbing Yeosang’s sleeve so the two could quickly make their way to the Great Hall.

Hongjoong muttered something of his own that was swallowed by the chitchat of their peers, but Mingi seemed to have a different agenda. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and rose his eyebrows arrogantly, a cruel smirk appearing on his face.

“Ah,” he let out, eyes drifting towards Yeosang, “if it isn’t the little Ice King.”

Yeosang grimaced and stopped walking, turning around to face the tall Hufflepuff. Seonghwa stopped as well, his lips parting as he eyed the two of them.

“What do you want?” he spat out.

Mingi smirked. “Nothing. Hope you enjoy your lunch.” He waved his fingers, similar to the way Yeosang had done the morning after Halloween, when he had been under the influence of the potion. “Heard they have very tasty coconut drinks tonight. You like those, don’t you?”

“Fuck you,” Yeosang muttered, angrily staring as the tall boy vanished up the corridor.

**~*~**

The _Divination_ classroom smelled of different incense sticks, a cloud of smoke wafting through the air, making it all appear like a dream. Seonghwa never was sure if Professor Taehyung did this because he actually liked the scent or to add onto the class’ mystical and dreamlike feeling.

Whatever it was, he liked it. He enjoyed the pleasant and subtle scent, the way he could relax during this class and have a good time with his friends. Professor Taehyung was known for his chill and laid back manners, allowing his students to talk freely—in his words, it lowered their inhibitions and made them more susceptible to the beyond. 

Enhance their sensibility to what wasn’t necessarily perceptible with their other senses.

Seonghwa didn’t really know if he had a gift for the art of divination or if he was just bullshitting his way through the class, Wooyoung on the other hand possessed the gift—the sight—getting visions often and having, more than once, prophesied smaller occurrences.

The Ravenclaws and their Gryffindor sat by the back of the class, waiting on Professor Taehyung and the rest of students to filter into the classroom. They were setting up their table, eyeing the strange looking objects that stood on the professor’s table. They were starting a new divination art that day and Wooyoung was buzzing with excitement.

Hongjoong, Mingi, and Yunho walked in, speaking to one another with their heads pulled together, not paying attention to where they were walking. They ended up taking their seats by the table closest to Seonghwa and his friends, much to his disappointment.

“You can’t keep hating us for excluding you,” said Hongjoong, putting down his bag.

Yunho sniffed, jerking his chin upwards as if he was deeply hurt. “I don’t know, the fact that you sneaked out to _Honeydukes_ without me to get the limited Chocolate Frog cards, _knowing_ that I’ve got my eye on that special edition Merlin card…” He sat down, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Oh, come on,” Mingi countered. “You can trade with Hongjoong.”

“No, I wanted to get it myself!” Yunho cried, pouting.

“We can go next time!” Hongjoong promised him.

Mingi snorted. “They’re plastic cards…” he pointed out in a low mumble.

His friends’s heads whipped in his direction, both with offended looks on their faces. “Don’t insult my collection, you fucker,” Yunho said, smacking his shoulder.

Mingi held up his hands in surrender. “I apologize, I apologize.”

“You don’t get it,” Hongjoong said.

“You’re right, I don’t.”

“Imagine if I were to insult your-your,” Yunho started, stuttering as he didn’t come up with anything, but then he perked up, letting out a quiet _aha_. “Imagine if I were to insult your precious collection of shirtless Quidditch players!”

Mingi turned beet red, shoving his friend. “Yunho!” he protested. “Don’t say that so loudly, that’s private!”

Hongjoong laughed.

Seonghwa exchanged a look with his friends, bemused looks on their faces. This was definitely blackmail material they could use against them at some point. 

Professor Taehyung walked into the classroom, the cloak he always wore trailing after him, making a strange sound as it swept across the carpeted floor. 

“I hope you had a pleasant lunch,” he said, sitting down on his desk, taking one of the strange objects in his hand. It seemed to be made out of glass, similar to an eight pointed star, in it it reflected the classroom, or so Seonghwa thought at first, but he could see movement in it that definitely wasn’t happening in the classroom. “This is an _Eighth Star_ , sadly there never was invented a more interesting name for it.” He held the piece up, the lights reflecting on it and casting shimmering lights on the floor and walls and on the students’s faces that sat in the first row, closest to Professor Taehyung. “It shows us inevitable changes that find themselves in our near future, but fear not what you might encounter in it. Even if the future is inevitable, it depends on what we do of it, how we go about it,” he explained, Seonghwa began taking notes. “I, for example, find myself once again alone during the Christmas season, and as much as it pains me, it gives me great time to reflect on why I am alone and why I still see it as a bad thing. Do you understand?” he questioned the classroom, he received a few nods in response. “Come on, everyone take one and try to understand what you see, what it might mean to you.”

The students got up, creating a line to retrieve an _Eighth Star_ from Professor Taehyung’s desk. When Seonghwa had his own he sat at his table and stared into the crystal, wondering if he would end up seeing something, and if he did, would it make sense?

Wooyoung was excitedly rambling away to his left, whilst Yeosang was scribbling down notes, reading about the _Eighth Star_ in the _Divination_ book.

“This is very similar to a kaleidoscope, isn’t it? Perhaps it is based on it. This is so fascinating,” Wooyoung said as he held it up above him and stared into it, a rainbow cast over his face.

“You’re the chosen gay,” Yeosang told him. “Wait, I’m going to write that down.”

“You’re going to bullshit your way through the class this year too?” Wooyoung asked, a disappointed pull to his lips.

Yeosang nodded. “You know I don’t really understand any of this.”

Seonghwa sighed as he only saw two shadows move in the _Eighth Star_ , back to back, edging closer to one another. It didn’t make any sense to him.

“I see something!” came Hongjoong’s excited voice and Seonghwa couldn’t help himself as he looked at the Hufflepuff curiously. “It’s like completely dark, but there’s a figure—write this down for me, Mingi,” he addressed his friend.

“What am I, your scribe?” Mingi asked with a scoff, but did comply.

“The figure seems to be a boy, raven hair and—” Hongjoong cut himself off, his eyes shooting up, and it didn’t take him seconds before they settled on Seonghwa, a deep blush growing in his cheeks.

“And what?” Mingi asked, his pen suspended over the parchment, creating a spot of ink.

“Nothing,” Hongjoong told him, looking away from Seonghwa. “I can’t really discern anything else.”

Seonghwa looked away, too, concentrating on the crystal again, moving it around in the light, but it kept replaying the figures. “Any luck, Wooyoung?” he asked.

“I am seeing a lot. There’s a figure surrounded by darkness and someone else pulling them out of it, they’re, uh, kissing, it seems.” He blushed. “Do you guys think it could be—?” He didn’t finish it, but he needed not to, they understood him.

“Woo, he’s a ghost, you would fall right through him,” Yeosang reminded him softly with a sympathetic smile. 

“Right, of course. You’re right. That was stupid of me.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Seonghwa reassured him.

“Do you see anything, Hwa?” Wooyoung asked him.

“Just two figures standing back to back, but they’re growing closer.” He shrugged unbothered. “Absolutely no clue what it’s supposed to mean.”

“At least you’re seeing something, I just see gibberish,” Yeosang said.

“Well, that gibberish could _mean_ something if you’d open yourself to interpret it,” Wooyoung told him.

Yeosang sighed. “Fine.” He stared at the _Eighth Star_ , turning it around over and over again. “I suppose I can see someone who is blinded? A misunderstanding? Or rather, opposing natures…” He let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know, sorry, this is not really proving to be my thing.”

Wooyoung blew a strand of his black hair out of his face, readjusting his reading glasses. “Because you’re trying too hard to see something that makes sense, it’s not really pragmatic or-or practical. You have to broaden—”

“Please don’t say I have to broaden my senses,” Yesoang bemoaned. “I will cry.”

Wooyoung smiled, but he was frustrated as well. Frustrated at Yeosang’s frustrations, just wanting his friend to understand the art of _Divination_. Wooyoung liked to have all of the things he liked and the people he adored connected in one way or another—it just didn’t always work.

“Just write you see some confusing argument,” Seonghwa offered.

“Ah, I don’t know. I was really hoping to use the rainbow as a sign of me exploring my sexuality,” Yeosang countered.

“You haven’t even kissed anyone!” Wooyoung protested.

Yeosang put the _Eighth_ _Star_ down on the table, crossing his arms in front of his chest, an affronted look on his face. “Neither have you,” he countered.

“How would you even know?”

“I have kissed someone,” Seonghwa butted in, grinning when his friends whipped their heads in his direction. They had wide eyes and betrayed looks.

“Who could you have possibly kissed?” Wooyoung wondered.

“This one girl during summer last year, made me realize I was gay. She realized she’s lesbian.”

“Ah, yes, the natural gay solidarity,” Wooyoung said, nodding his head.

**~*~**

When Seonghwa first had come to Hogwarts, he thought that through being a good student and learning beautiful magic he could convince his parents that being a wizard wasn’t something to be scared of—something evil and frightening. He had believed that he could change their minds. Years later and it still was a struggle to fully have them trust their own son, see it as a gift rather than a curse. It wasn’t as bad as it once used to be, but it wasn’t perfect either.

When he had come to Hogwarts he had promised himself to never cause ruckus and be an obedient student, as he thought he couldn’t allow himself any slip ups, fearing his parents might stray further away from him. Kim Hongjoong had made him break that rule, not only once or twice, but more times than he could count. 

At first, it had made Seonghwa shake during the night in anxiety and had plagued him with nightmares; then he had started to handle it better, realizing that it didn’t matter whether he was good or bad to his parents, for he was a wizard and _that_ was the problem. Now, Seonghwa barely batted his eyelashes when he hexed Hongjoong or pranked him and his friends. 

It had become a routine.

Seonghwa wasn’t proud of himself, he had broken his rule of being a good person one too many times with Hongjoong, so it didn’t really matter anymore, what choices he took regarding the Hufflepuff. 

Seonghwa wasn’t good; there was something dark and unpleasant in him, he tried to fight it every day, but when it came to Hongjoong, he just let it be.

Their current disposition reminded him a lot of their duel during their first year, except that they were alone, and Hongjoong looked confused when Seonghwa had dragged him to the empty classroom up on the fourth floor.

“What do you want?” the Hufflepuff asked, eyeing a dust flake falling from the ceiling.

“I want,” Seonghwa began, clutching his wand tightly beneath his robes, “Song to leave Yeosang alone… What he did was stupid.”

Hongjoong raised his eyebrows. “Is this about the potion accident?” He laughed incredulously. “You’re making this much of a ruckus for a stupid love potion prank? It’s not even the worst we’ve done!”

“You don’t understand—” he tried to explain himself, but he fell short of words. He had had an entire argument ready, practiced the words as he seeked out Hongjoong in the castle to drag him into the classroom and tell him to back off. To tell _Mingi_ to back off. Seonghwa didn’t care what they threw at him, but he couldn’t imagine losing Yeosang. He was already behaving strangely and more irritable this year. Seonghwa didn’t want him to reach a breaking point, but Mingi always managed to push Yeosang there.

“I don’t see why you’re being so—” He made a gesture, then he sighed, exasperated. “You’re overreacting, Park.”

“You still don’t understand, huh?” He chuckled bitterly, fearing he’d break his wand in two if he were to tighten his grip any further. He wanted to hex Hongjoong so badly, wanted to hurt him for hurting his friend; but even if Seonghwa wasn’t good, he wasn’t bad either.

This was something he hadn’t planned with, this anger coursing through his veins. His thoughts and emotions were steering into an unpleasant direction, his mind slowly becoming an unrecognizable wasteland.

“What? You’re in love with Kang? Is that it?” Hongjoong asked, tone sharp.

Seonghwa looked up, his eyebrows twitching as he pulled them into a frown, momentarily he was himself again—wholly. “What? No. He’s my best friend. I don’t want to lose him. Like you wouldn’t want to lose Mingi or Yunho.”

Hongjoong squinted his eyes at him. “All right, then, what exactly do you want? I’m still not quite following.”

“Let’s duel again. If I win, you leave my friend out of this. You don’t breathe near Yeosang, you don’t talk to him. Not you, not Mingi, not Yunho; do you understand? And you don’t provoke Wooyoung or Jongho because Yeosang gets defensive. This whole ordeal will stay _only_ between us.”

Hongjoong was quiet for a moment, staring blankly at Seonghwa. “And if I win?” he asked.

“You won’t.”

“I’m not agreeing to this,” he said with a slight shake of his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t see the point in dueling you. The prank was only harmless fun, like _all_ our pranks.” He laughed, it wasn’t his real laugh, it was strange—masked with fear. 

The unfamiliar feeling Seonghwa had felt some while ago was back, spreading out inside him. 

He looked at Hongjoong and although he did recognize him, it wasn’t as _Hongjoong_ , but as someone whose face he had seen around. Darkness was coursing through Seonghwa’s veins, pulsing out of his heart; until, without realizing it, he was raising his wand and pointing it at Hongjoong. The name of a spell crossed his mind—one he wouldn’t dare to use against another person. He never wanted to _seriously_ hurt Hongjoong, only jinx him, as the Hufflepuff himself had said, in harmless fun. 

Hongjoong raised his eyebrows. “What are you going to do, huh?” he asked with a snort.

The word passing over Seonghwa’s lips scared him, it didn’t even sound like his own voice, but it was him. 

It was him, for he pointed the wand and threw the spell at Hongjoong. “ _Sectumsempra_!”

Hongjoong’s eyes widened in surprise and fear, then he collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air and groaning in pain. Red slashes appeared all over his body, terrifyingly deep and dangerous. Seonghwa just stood there, staring at him in astonishment, for the briefest moments he felt satisfaction. Then he finally moved. Panic filled him and he stared helplessly at Hongjoong’s eyes, who stared back at him as if they were seeing a stranger. 

Seonghwa pointed his wand at the Hufflepuff and whispered different healing spells, watching how the slashed skin slowly started closing again.

A sob made its way over his lips. “I’m sorry, I-I don’t know what—I don’t know why I did that. It didn’t even feel like I was—I’m so sorry, Hongjoong. I didn’t mean to…” he kept rambling as he healed the boy, one trembling hand coming up to delicately push the gray hair out of Hongjoong’s forehead. “I am so, so sorry. Fucking hell, I don’t know what overcame me when I was—I would _never_ do such a thing…”

“Park,” Hongjoong muttered, coughing. “It’s—”

“No, it’s not—It’s not fine. I _fucked_ up there.”

Hongjoong shook his head, coughed again, and sat up, moving Seonghwa’s wand away. “I wasn’t going to say that it’s okay,” he clarified, glaring at him. He checked his body for any other cuts, using his own wand as he performed nonverbal healing spells on himself. “I was going to say that there’s something dark going on at Hogwarts. Something is off.”

Seonghwa blinked. “What?”

“I’m not sure myself, but Mingi has been behaving strangely when—” he cut himself off, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Something is off,” he repeated, glancing at Seonghwa. He stared at him for a moment, searching his face. “I know that you—I know you wouldn’t cast such a spell on someone just for the fun of it. I know you wouldn’t cast that spell on _me_ , despite our rivalry.”

Seonghwa lowered his head and looked away from Hongjoong. “I’m sorry,” he apologized again. He rubbed at his tear stained cheeks, feeling stupid now for having panicked and cried hysterically in front of his enemy.

“What did you feel when you casted _Sectumsempra_?”

“An overwhelming and unfamiliar darkness,” he replied, trying to recall the exact feeling, but it had vanished completely, leaving him incredibly drained. “Even in my angriest moments, I have not felt such… violence.”

Hongjoong nodded his head, deep in thought. “Mingi said the same thing. Interesting. Have any of your friends experienced this?” he wondered.

“No.” Seonghwa shook his head. “Wait, I think Yeosang might have. He was overly snappy for a couple of days.”

He hummed. “I think it’s best this stays between us for now. I won’t report you, and please don’t expect a duel coming up _any_ time soon after this.” He chuckled, as if it was funny. Seonghwa just gave him a blank and tired look. Hongjoong cleared his throat again, embarrassed. “Well, anyway. Let’s just backtrack our rivalry to before the Halloween party, all right?”

Seonghwa hummed in agreement. “All right.”

 _Good_ , he thought, pleased. That meant all those inappropriate thoughts regarding Hongjoong could be thrown far away, possibly let them sink to the bottom of the Great Lake where the sunlight didn’t reach—where no man ever had been. And he could forget that he had harmed Hongjoong and had felt so incredibly scared at the idea of actually losing him.

“I’m gonna… I’m gonna go?” Seonghwa stood up, eyeing Hongjoong and waiting for him to say anything. Weirdly, he was expecting the Hufflepuff to ask him to stay.

“Sure. See you in class,” Hongjoong told him, and stood up as well. Seonghwa didn’t move, he felt as though he needed to say more, apologize again or something along those lines, but nothing came to mind, and he just stupidly stared at Hongjoong. “What?”

Seonghwa shook his head. “Nothing. Good night.”

Hongjoong frowned, but a minuscule smile appeared. “Good night, Park.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the plot it..... t h i c k e n s !


	7. Fear's Shape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably one of my favorite chapters as we get to know a bit of background story from certain characters hehe ^^ I hope you enjoy it!

That Friday it was gray outside, and the wind was blowing gusts of light rain against the window, obscuring the view.

The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were huddled together with the Slytherins and Gryffindors in the _Defence Against the Dark Arts_ classroom, looking around in curious confusion. Professor Lee stood by the front of the room next to a small chest, she waited as the last students were filling out the room, undoubtedly an enlarging spell at work to make it bigger to accommodate all the students.

“You’re probably wondering why we changed your schedules so suddenly for today,” Professor Lee began. “After the Boggart was taken out of the third year DADA schedule, it was finally approved by the Ministry of Magic’s Educational department to be reintroduced into this class. This time not to be taught to any students under fifteen and only those that are willing to confront their biggest fear. Those that do not wish to do this are free to leave, writing up an essay instead. You’ll find the materials for the essay on my desk,” she explained, pointing her finger at a table by the door, where a stack of papers was lying on top. “Please, those that wish to stay and confront the Boggart, move to the right of the classroom; those that wish to leave, grab a paper and move to the Library to work on the essay. Professor Shin is already there to answer any questions you may have.” 

Her words were followed by loud chatter and moving, the students parting ways. A large amount left the classroom, to Seonghwa’s surprise Yunho was in between them. Seonghwa stayed put; Wooyoung and Yeosang with him, the latter bit his lip anxiously, but he stared firmly ahead. Something about Yeosang had changed that year, he had become better at handling bigger crowds and attention. Still, facing one’s biggest fear whilst being constantly anxious, seemed like a lot of effort.

“Yeo,” Wooyoung whispered, apparently having the same thought as Seonghwa. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Yeosang glanced at him, then nodded. “Are _you_?”

Wooyoung shrugged. “Touché.”

“Please form a queue in front of this chest!” Professor Lee called out the moment the classroom’s door had closed behind the last leaving student. “Now, the incantation to fight a Boggart is simple: _Riddikulus_. Pronounce it clear and powerful, without any doubt; visualize how best you’d ridicule your fear.” She stepped in front of the chest, with a flick of her wand it opened. “Here, I’ll demonstrate.”

A shapeless blob swirled out of the chest, like smoke, expanding in the classroom, until it took the form of an elderly woman whose facial features resembled those of Professor Lee. She materialized completely, giving the professor a condescending smile, then opened her mouth, but before she could speak a word, Professor Lee flicked her wand.

“ _Riddikulus_!” The elderly woman began to shape-shift into a rather ridiculous clown. “Now, please, Miss Jang.”

Yeeun stepped forward, swallowing nervously. After her it was Yeo Hwanwoong’s turn, Gryffindor’s Keeper; and so the queue began to shrink until suddenly it was Mingi who was staring impassively at the Boggart, though his trembling hand gave his cool and nonchalant exterior image away.

The Boggart, much to the horror of many, transformed into two very familiar Hogwarts students. Hongjoong and Yunho lay on the ground, their throats slashed open by cut wounds, the rest of their bodies equally as maimed. It looked like the doings of a vicious creature—or, as Seonghwa thought to a few days back, like the consequence of the _Sectumsempra_ spell. He swallowed, not trying to think of that; of Hongjoong’s body on the floor, his slashed skin and robes, the blood spilling out of his body and forming a pool next to him; of that strange sensation that Seonghwa hadn’t quite been himself.

“Oh, my,” Professor Lee muttered, horrified by the sight.

“ _Riddikulus_ ,” Mingi said with a shaky voice, flicking his wand at the Boggart, which promptly turned into two human sized dolls, known to be used for rather inappropriate things. Someone laughed hysterically and the tension ebbed out of the classroom with a _whoosh_. 

After Professor Lee assigned the Hufflepuff house points depending on the spell’s performance, he walked to the back of the room together with the other participants. Next up was Hongjoong.

His Boggart at first transformed into a huge, fire spewing dragon—a student gasped, another one screamed—but then the dragon vanished and a woman appeared, she held a certain resemblance to Hongjoong. He supposed it was Hongjoong’s mother.

“Darling,” the woman said, a sad smile on her face. A trail of blood spilled out of her mouth, but she seemed to ignore it. “I’m afraid we won’t see each other again.”

Hongjoong’s hand trembled as he stared at her, an impassive look on his face, but Seonghwa heard his ragged breath, the hidden fear in his eyes. 

The Hufflepuff swallowed. “ _Riddikulus_!”

After Hongjoong had completed the task there were only three students in between the Boggart and Yeosang. 

Seonghwa felt nervous for his friend, unsure how this would affect him and make him feel afterwards. He truly hoped Yeosang had thought this through, he didn’t want to think he knew his friend’s boundaries better than he did himself, but sometimes Yeosang could be reckless in his need to prove himself, causing him to take foolish decisions.

Wooyoung stood now in front of the Boggart, wand ready, a steady look in his eyes as he waited for his fear to materialize, but Professor Lee stepped towards him.

“Mr Jeong, are you certain this is a good idea?” she inquired, her tone apprehensive.

Her question was valid, considering Wooyoung’s troubled past and problematic parental situation; and the fact that he had witnessed a Dementor’s Kiss at a young age. None of those would be nice to see for the rest of students. Seonghwa himself worried about what he might end up seeing, especially after Mingi’s horrible Boggart.

Wooyoung smiled at her. “Yes, Professor. It’s not what—It won’t turn into what you might believe, do not worry,” he promised her. She nodded her head and moved aside, to let the task carry on, and just like he had promised, the Boggart shape-shifted into a group of people, but not those everyone had thought about.

It was jarring for Seonghwa to see himself, staring at Wooyoung with hate and disgust. Yeosang, Jongho, and San stood in the small group, too. All of them were eyeing the Gryffindor with equally as displeased expressions, as if the mere sight of the boy repulsed them.

“You’re worthless,” Boggart San spoke, his voice icy cold.

“You’re the reason your parents became murderers,” added the other Seonghwa.

Boggart Yeosang laughed horribly. “We never actually loved you.”

“ _Riddikulus_ ,” Wooyoung said in a low voice, his stare cold and distant.

The group of people lost their clothing, standing only in underwear, looking scandalized at one another for being exposed like that.

“Did he have to?” Yeosang muttered, affronted at seeing himself half naked. His cheeks were dusted in pink. 

Seonghwa himself felt a bit embarrassed about it, but Wooyoung shot them an apologetic smile.

“Nice abs, Captain!” Changbin said with a laugh.

“Quiet, Mr Seo!” Professor Lee scolded him. “Next up, Mr Kang!”

Yeosang stepped forward, clutching his wand tightly as he waited for the Boggart to become his biggest fear, and to everyone’s surprise it became Yeosang himself, dressed as he was in his Ravenclaw robes; with his dark blonde hair curled and parted in the middle, and his big eyes staring back at the classroom. His eyebrows were furrowed. Slowly his face blushed, his ears and neck too.

“ _Riddikulus_ ,” Yeosang muttered quietly. 

It was still his own self but joined by Wooyoung now, both of them dressed in ridiculous clothing. Seonghwa recognized the costumes, something Yeosang and Wooyoung had once worn as children, during Halloween, that made them both crack up every time, the background story was an inside joke only for the two of them to understand.

Wooyoung’s loud laughter interrupted the short, confused silence that followed. Yeosang cracked a smile of his own.

“That was very brave, Mr Kang,” Professor Lee told him quietly. He bowed his head as he moved to stand with everyone else that had absolved the task. “Mr Park, I believe it is your turn.”

Seonghwa stepped forward, staring back at Boggart Wooyoung and Yeosang, until they took a shapeless form, swirling around. Confusing and nightmarish shapes floated in front of him, until his parents appeared. He pressed his lips together, trying to think of a way he could ridicule them. He had feared the Boggart would become them, but still, he had no idea how to counter this.

“We’ve endured this nonsense for years,” his dad told him. “We can no longer house someone like you. This isn’t normal!”

“You have an hour to pack your things… Don’t let your brother see you leave. We don’t want him asking unwanted questions,” his mom added in a whisper.

Seonghwa swallowed, wanting to defend himself—put up a fight. But this wasn’t real, this was just a Boggart. He raised his wand.

“ _Riddikulus_ ,” he said, loud and clear, but all that happened was his dad looking stunned.

“Are you… Are you trying to hurt us with your magic?” he asked, bewildered.

“What,” Seonghwa whispered, confused.

“Have you gone insane?!” his mom hissed. “We knew that this wizard thing was dangerous, but that you’d end up wanting to harm your own parents. Who have you become?!”

Seonghwa frowned, his heart racing. What was happening? This wasn’t what he had thought of, his biggest fear had always been his parents kicking him out of his home for being a wizard. 

This was different.

“ _Riddikulus_ ,” he repeated, less convinced.

“Son!” his mom shouted indignantly. 

“Are you learning all of this so you can hurt people?” his dad asked him, his eyes filled with fear and concern

“N-No,” Seonghwa told them, his voice shaky. “No, I wouldn’t hurt someone,” he insisted.

Slowly but surely long and deep cuts started to appear on his parents’s bodies, they collapsed onto the floor. The blood spilled out in masses, more and more wounds opening up, their gasps filled the shocked silence that reigned in the classroom. Seonghwa fell to his knees, his wand scattering a few feet away. He placed his hands on their _very_ real bodies, the warmth of the blood was overwhelming.

Slowly their bodies grew cold and Seonghwa was now crying.

“NO!” he shouted. “No, no, I didn’t mean to—This is not what I—”

Someone pulled him up by his arm and away from his dying parents. The voices around him sounded muted and distorted. His parents turned into smoke, and seconds later they became a strange four legged horse, it had no fur, instead its skin was scaly, wings growing out of its torso. 

Seonghwa was dragged out of the classroom by someone, they let him sit on the stone floor in the corridor, leaning against the wall. He buried his head into his arms, shaking as he saw his dead parents behind his eyelids.

“Seonghwa,” whispered a warm and familiar voice. “Hey, you’re alright. It’s okay.” A hand came to push through his hair in a soothing manner.

The door opened again and the hand disappeared, seconds later a warm body pushed itself against Seonghwa, tightly embracing him.

“Piss off, Kim,” hissed Wooyoung. “Yeo, join me,” he said, and Yeosang came to hug Seonghwa’s other side.

He removed the hands from in front of his face to look up. Wooyoung passed the sleeve of his robes over Seonghwa’s tear stained cheeks, whereas Yeosang brushed his black hair out of his face. Hongjoong stood awkwardly in the hallway, playing with his wand as if it was extremely interesting.

“I will say though,” Wooyoung spoke up again, addressing the Hufflepuff Prefect. “Thank you for actually helping Seonghwa in there. That was oddly nice of you.”

Hongjoong startled when he met Seonghwa’s eyes, his cheeks dusting pink. “Um, it was nothing!” he told them, rushing inside the _Defence Against the Dark Arts_ classroom.

“That was weird,” Yeosang commented.

“Yes,” Seonghwa agreed.

“Professor Lee has given us permission to leave early,” Wooyoung told him. “Let me go inside and grab our stuff. We can go to the Quidditch pitch or something.”

“It’s raining,” Yeosang pointed out but was standing up.

“That’s not rain, that’s just some light drizzle.”

“Hwa?” Yeosang looked at him questioningly.

“I think it could calm me down to take a walk outside.”

Wooyoung grinned. “Then it’s settled!”

**~*~**

Down by the Quidditch pitch, the three of them sat on the stands, staring at the empty field. Seonghwa wished the rain wasn’t there and he wouldn’t be so packed with classes, he yearned to run a few laps, free himself of the stress on his shoulders. 

It wasn’t just the stress, there was something else too—the darkness. After his conversation with Hongjoong, he thought back to those moments he had felt foreign in his own body, anger and violence settling deep in his bones, and it made sense, in a terrifying way, that something was off. That something else—dark and horrible—was at play.

He shuddered just thinking about it. Too many mysteries walked through Hogwarts that year, maybe had always walked there, but he had been too young and distracted to notice. 

“Why do you think did Kim suddenly help you out?” Wooyoung asked, a playful smile on his face.

Seonghwa shrugged. “I don’t know.” But he felt his ears turn hot.

“Look at him,” Wooyoung said, elbowing Yeosang, and grinned. “Is there something going on?”

“No!” he said, way too quick and too loud. Even Yeosang laughed.

“Are you sure?” Wooyoung waggled his eyebrows.

“Yes. I am sure. _Very_ sure,” he insisted, feeling strangely vulnerable, his skin prickling in an uncomfortable way. “Can we drop this, please?” he begged them, crossing his arms in front of his chest in a protective way.

Wooyoung sighed dramatically. “ _Fine_ ,” he agreed, as if it took him a great deal to do so. “What do we do? We still have half an hour before _History of Magic_.” The three of them exchanged a look, quietness settling over them, clearly all of them had their minds occupied with something different. “Work on a personal revenge prank on Song?” Wooyoung asked, wiggling his eyebrows and breaking their silence.

Seonghwa stayed quiet, growing suffocatingly hot under his collar, sweat running down his back despite the cold temperature reigning outside. He swallowed—thinking back to Hongjoong’s body full of cuts, then of his parents’s full of injuries—and tried not to think too much about it, but as he looked down at his hands he saw them full of blood. He took in a ragged breath, clenching his jaw. Hongjoong had said it hadn’t been his fault, something dark was going on.

 _It wasn’t me_ , he told himself, _I wouldn’t do something like that_.

Yeosang was eyeing the Quidditch field with a pensive look. “I don’t know…” he finally answered.

“What do you mean _you don’t know_? I thought you were on board?” Wooyoung asked, confused. Yeosang shrugged noncommittally. “What do you think, Hwa?”

“If Yeosang doesn’t want to take revenge, then we don’t do anything,” he replied, thankful that his tone was stable, that none of his inner turmoil was visible. “It’s up to him.”

“Ugh.” Wooyoung eyed them both. “What happened? You were both on board just a few days ago.”

Seonghwa swallowed again, feeling as though there was a knot in his throat. “Nothing,” he said, noticing how sharp his tone was. He cleared his throat, avoided Wooyoung’s inquisitive eyes, and looked at Yeosang. “If I may ask, why did you stay today? In DADA, why did you decide to fight the Boggart? You knew what it would entail, so…” he asked, hoping this would change their train of conversation—besides, he was curious.

Yeosang stayed quiet, looking back at Seonghwa. Wooyoung was eyeing them with curiosity, clearly wanting to know himself what had changed and _why_ it had changed.

After the death of Yeosang’s mother the previous summer, his anxiety had worsened notably, relying a whole lot more on his friends, and any slight push out of his comfort zone had meant horrible consequences. The death of Mrs Kang had brought up many questions—as she had been a very respected Ministry worker. She had been a Veela and had worked in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, on the relations between wizards and half-breeds, trying to aim for a more respectful coexistence. Her death had been classified as an unsolved mystery. But even more, it had torn a family apart. Yeosang had picked up an extra part time job after her passing, to help out his dispirited father, and he had been burdened to look after Taehyun, as their father had begun drinking in between his shifts at the hospital. 

Watching his best friend becoming a phantom had been terrible, but this year it seemed as though _something_ had changed, possibly already had over the summer before their fith year had begun. Seonghwa was extremely curious to know what it was.

“I wanted to,” Yeosang responded finally, aware that his friends wanted to hear more than that, but not completely comfortable with sharing it. He knew they wouldn’t push him, that was how they all worked—founded in trust and respect. But part of him wanted to talk about it with them, to throw all precaution out the window—risk a bit. He took in a deep breath, held it, and exhaled it slowly until there was no air in his lungs anymore “I’ve uh, been taking anti-anxiety meds and attending therapy,” he confessed.

Seonghwa parted his lips, surprised. He hadn’t known that Hogwarts possessed such medical care system.

Wooyoung was the first to speak. “That’s great, Yeo!” he told him, a small smile on his face, and he reached out to hold Yeosang’s hand. “Therapy here at Hogwarts?”

“Not yet,” he replied with a shake of his head. “Twice a week I’m going to St Mungo’s Hospital with Professor Im Sangah, she has a Muggle degree in Psychology and hooked me up with a good therapist,” he explained them. “But they’re considering offering therapy here at Hogwarts too, since I definitely am not the only student with anxiety. And not just for anxiety, other mental illnesses as well.”

“Wait, when are you even going to these therapy hours?” Seonghwa asked, surprised as he hadn’t noticed his friend leaving.

Yeosang cleared his throat awkwardly. “Ah, you see, the tutoring sessions I said I was taking were an excuse…”

“Oh.” Seonghwa moved to hold Yeosang’s other hand. “I am proud of you and glad you’re getting professional help; and that you seem to be doing better?” he added the last part a bit hesitantly. 

Yeosang nodded his head. “Yes, I’m doing much better. Doing mindfulness and other meditation activities, trying to find one that works for me. Plus, these small steps out of my comfort zone, as long as it doesn’t hurt me.” He gave them a small, proud smile, his cheeks rosy.

Wooyoung hugged him tightly. “You’re the cutest, I love you!” Yeosang laughed abashed, but was comfortable and enjoyed having his two best friends right there with him.

“Now that I’ve told you this, I just remembered,” Yeosang started up again after the three shared a comfortable silence, “I saw Mingi at St Mungo’s Hospital a while ago. He was speaking with a team of doctors and Ministry workers…”

Wooyoung raised his eyebrows in surprise and shot a look at Seonghwa, asking quietly if he knew something about this, but there was nothing. When he had sneaked to the Hospital Wing, he hadn’t gotten the chance to speak to Mingi or snoop around to discover what had happened. He was just as much in the dark as his friends.

Seonghwa shrugged. “We can try to discover the truth…”

“Should we?” Yeosang questioned.

“I don’t see why not,” Wooyoung agreed. “What’s up with everyone having secrets this year? I wish I had any interesting secrets,” he complained.

Seonghwa smiled faintly, his mind going back to the _Sectumsempra_ incident and guilt washed over him once again.

**~*~**

Once the downpour had become too strong and an icy cold wind had picked up the three of them had hurried back into the castle, it was getting late anyway. They walked up the confusing maze of stairs to the third floor where their _History of Magic_ class was held. They reached it about two minutes before the class started, Professor Yoo already inside. Her small figure was writing something on the green board.

To Seonghwa’s surprise Hongjoong stood next to the door, anxiously playing with the sleeve of his robes. He was alone, avoiding all the curious glances he got.

“What’s he doing here?” Wooyoung hissed as they reached the door.

Yeosang shrugged. “No clue.”

Hongjoong must’ve heard them for his eyes shot up and immediately found Seonghwa, his gaze signalizing that he wanted to speak with the Ravenclaw Prefect alone.

“Uh, I’ll see you guys inside,” Seonghwa muttered and walked up to Hongjoong, slightly uncomfortable.

“Sure,” Wooyoung said and walked inside the classroom, Yeosang following him. They didn’t waste much time to push their heads together and whisper, most likely, about what Hongjoong might want of their friend.

Hongjoong crossed his arms in front of his chest and nibbled on his lower lip, not directly looking at Seonghwa, rather somewhere behind him. He waited for all students to clear out the corridor before he cleared his throat.

“I, er, wanted to know if you’re okay,” he said, the words mumbled and slurred in an obvious attempt to make himself incomprehensible. It was clear that he didn’t really want to do this, that he was forcing himself to check up on Seonghwa.

“Do you really?”

Hongjoong frowned. “Well, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have come here… I have _Transfiguration_ class right now, I could’ve been there instead of here, checking up on you, you know? But I came _here_ because you seemed to be in a really shaken state when you left the DADA class, so I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.” He exhaled once he was done with his little rant, his ears turning red as he steadily stared at the Ravenclaw.

Seonghwa was silent for a moment, stupefied that Hongjoong apparently had cared about him, for some unfathomable reason. He had gone out of his way to check up on Seonghwa, which was already strange enough, but the overwhelming warmth spreading through Seonghwa’s body at those words was even stranger. He swallowed, trying to gather his thoughts.

“This doesn’t mean I care for you!” Hongjoong added, way too loudly, startling Seonghwa. “It’s just after the _incident_ , your Boggart made sense and I suppose you haven’t told anyone about it, so… I don’t know. I just thought I’d—How do you Muggle born say, ‘vibe check’ you?” He shifted his body away from the wall, uncrossing his arms and letting them fall by his sides awkwardly.

Seonghwa snorted, the warm feeling in his heart growing, terribly so, into what he knew was fondness. Fondness for Hongjoong, his arch nemesis. He really was losing a grip on reality, wasn’t he?

“I’m fine,” he promised the Hufflepuff. “You can leave for _Transfiguration_.” Seonghwa didn’t want him to leave. He wanted to stay there with Hongjoong, but they both had classes to attend; it was stupid what he was thinking.

Hongjoong nodded his head, licking his lips as he searched Seonghwa’s face. “It wasn’t your fault,” he finally said.

Seonghwa felt his throat tighten up, the warmth left him abruptly and instead his heart became cold and feeble, with a blow it’d shatter. He looked away from Hongjoong, towards their shoes—funnily they were wearing similar boots. He saw how Hongjoong was raising his hand in the air, where it hovered awkwardly for a few seconds before he let it fall again.

“I’ll be going then,” the Hufflepuff whispered. “See you later, Seonghwa.”

 _Seonghwa_ , it rang in his head, even after settling into the seat next to Wooyoung.

**~*~**

The day was like a never ending horror story, a nightmare that Seonghwa didn’t seem to be able to wake up from.

When they walked into the Great Hall for lunch there was a small uproar, students were talking loudly in hushed voices, a layer of apprehension and fear lying in the room. The _Daily Prophet_ was waved around and Seonghwa just knew something terrible was awaiting him.

After Yeosang and Seonghwa had sat down at their table, filling up their plates, listening in on the chatter around them to discern the words going around, they were interrupted by Wooyoung.

The Gryffindor held his plate of food in one hand, half eaten, and the newspaper in the other. He sat down next to Yeosang, nearly making him spill his banana-almond milkshake.

“There was an attack in Hogsmeade!” he announced, slamming the _Daily_ _Prophet_ down on the table, not caring that Seonghwa’s food spilled over. 

In big bold letters the headline on the newspaper read: _A young witch was almost murdered in Hogsmeade!_ Underneath the article spoke about how she had suffered from a very rare spell, formed by Dark Magic and prohibited long before the Second Wizarding War—long before the Dark Lord. It was something stemming from an unnameable evil, so vicious and dark that many had forgotten its name, its origin and its existence, but it was back. 

Seonghwa felt his heart beat painfully in his chest and he looked up, searching for Hongjoong, who was by the Hufflepuff table, reading the _Daily_ _Prophet_ with Mingi, when he raised his eyes they met Seonghwa’s immediately. They exchanged a meaningful glance, something was indeed off.

“I’ve heard that they cancelled the Hogsmeade trip this Sunday,” Yeeun mentioned.

“Really?” Changbin asked. “I suppose it makes sense.”

“Do you think the attacker is trying to enter Hogwarts?” Yeosang asked quietly, but his question was heard by most students at their table and a tense, frightened silence befell them.

“I hope not,” Wooyoung finally said, folding the newspaper. “I’ll write my aunt, maybe she knows something.” With that he left their table, walking out of the Great Hall. By the door, he was greeted by San, who went with him.

“Have you ever read about something like this?” Seonghwa asked Yesoang, who shook his head.

“No, never,” he responded. “We could try to sneak into the Restricted Section,” he offered in a whisper so that no one overheard them.

“Yes, maybe we should do that,” Seonghwa agreed. “There are too many unanswered questions.”

**~*~**

_Potions_ it seemed was that semester’s worst class, in between getting paired up with Hongjoong quite a lot—more than Seonghwa wanted and could endure—Yeosang kept getting put together with Mingi for the assignments, and _that_ was something Seonghwa did not like.

He always had been wary of Mingi, of course, ever since he had started with the Ice King nickname, taunting Yeosang in class and corridors, pushing him to the brink; but in sight of the recent events—especially with the love potion debacle—he had grown extra suspicious of the tall Hufflepuff, watching his every movement like a hawk (or, maybe more accurately, eagle). He was waiting for Mingi to screw up monumentally again so he could throw himself onto him, cuss him out and hex him.

Seonghwa didn’t like the way Mingi had walked away mostly unscathed from his doings, he respected that Yeosang didn’t want to take personal revenge, for whichever reasons he had, but it didn’t mean that Seonghwa could just let Mingi off the hook so easily.

“What are you looking at?” Hongjoong asked, amused, as he stirred their potion. Something about an antidote to a venomous dragon that lived in jungles.

Seonghwa turned his head, startled. He nearly dropped his pulverized snake teeth. “Huh? I wasn’t looking at anything.”

“You were staring creepily at Mingi and Yeosang,” Hongjoong said. “Something the matter?”

Seonghwa frowned, dumping the pulverized teeth inside the cauldron, purposefully wrong to bother Hongjoong so he’d stop asking questions. This wasn’t their dynamic, they were enemies, and anything else just made Seonghwa’s heart head into a direction he didn’t quite know how to handle. It terrified him. 

Hongjoong hissed at him, quickly correcting what Seonghwa had done wrong, but he kept giving him a wondering look. “Tell me, Park; are you sure you don’t have feelings for you friend?”

Seonghwa couldn’t help himself when he laughed, a bit hysterically. Oh, the irony. “I certainly am.”

Hongjoong was quiet for a moment, openly searching his face. “Then, is it Mingi you were longingly looking at?”

“Ew, no!”

“That’s my best friend you’re talking about,” Hongjoong told him, offended.

“My condolences,” Seonghwa supplied. The Hufflepuff rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath. “Less chit-chat, Kim, more stirring!” he commanded, breaking off whatever more questions Hongjoong might have had.

When they slowly absolved their potion, the liquid gaining the gray color that the textbook spoke about, Seonghwa allowed himself to look again at where Yeosang and Mingi stood near their cauldron. He was displeased to find his friend with his arms crossed in front of his chest, a scowl on his lips and a frown between his eyebrows, while Mingi smirked way too pleased.

Seonghwa concentrated his hearing, tuning out all the other noises in the classroom—the chatter, the splashing of liquid, the sound of someone hastily cutting ingredients.

“—you get so irritated, I only said that I will make sure you don’t catch the Golden Snitch once we play against one another,” Mingi was saying.

“Must I remind you of our third year?” Yeosang asked, his voice cold and arrogant, not something Seonghwa experienced often, mostly only when he was speaking to or about Mingi.

“That was different,” Mingi told him, the embarrassment clear in his voice.

“Different? How?” Yeosang inquired. “What? Swallowed your tongue?”

“Shut up, little Ice King! You’re not as great as you believe yourself to be.” Yeosang scoffed at that. “I will break you.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

After that they stayed quiet, but Seonghwa felt anger rise in him. It was strong and dark, much stronger than the usual irritation he felt during these kind of situation, and he wondered, not for the first time, if this was connected to the darkness Hongjoong had talked about.

He shook his head, returning to the task at hand.

“Is it done?” he asked Hongjoong, jerking his chin in the direction of the cauldron.

“Yes, and you would’ve noticed that if you weren’t so busy stalking Yeosang and Mingi… _again_.”

“Fuck off,” Seonghwa said tiredly.

Hongjoong pulled a grimace, muttering something under his breath in a mocking manner, making fun of Seonghwa.

“Real mature.”

When Professor Shin ranked their potions, granting Yeeun and Keonhee the highest points for their houses, the class moved to empty their cauldrons and clean up before they left, ready for the day to end and relax before the much awaited dinner came.

Seonghwa wasn’t thinking about it, though, he had his mind focused on the interaction in between his friend the tall Hufflepuff. He wanted Mingi to pay for the tormenting he had made Yeosang go through that year. It felt as if it was a tenfold worse than during any other year. Maybe that was only his own perception, but he couldn’t let Mingi walk off again. So in the badly lit corridor down in the dungeons he stalked over to the Hufflepuffs, ignoring Yeosang, who was asking him if he was okay.

“Seonghwa!” his friend called out, confused.

“Wait just a moment, Yeosang,” he said over his shoulder.

Hongjoong stared with wide eyes when Seonghwa grabbed a fistful of Mingi’s robes, aggressively pulling the Hufflepuff with him.

“Hey! Park! What are you doing?” the Hufflepuff Prefect called out, confused.

“None of your business. Just leave to do whatever it is that you have to do,” Seonghwa hissed at him.

Hongjoong parted his lips, but Mingi shook his head. “Don’t worry, this won’t take long,” Mingi promised him.

“Shut up, you don’t even know what this is about,” Seonghwa told him, rolling his eyes at the Hufflepuff’s overly confident attitude.

“What could you possibly have to discuss with me that would take a long time? This is about Kang, isn’t it?” Mingi added the second question the moment they found themselves in a more secluded part of the corridor.

Seonghwa didn’t answer him, he simply checked the corridor for an empty room and pushed the tall boy inside the first one that was unlocked and vacant. Once they were inside he whirled around, anger radiating off of him, and his wand drawn out. Mingi stood in the middle of the classroom, his hands pushed inside his trousers pockets, and an irritated look on his face. The corners of lips were turned downwards as he eyed Seonghwa’s wand, but he didn’t pull out his own.

“Why do you keep, so incessantly, tormenting Yeosang?” Seonghwa asked then, the urge to push the tall Hufflepuff strong.

“Oh, come on, you know,” Mingi replied, rolling his eyes. He leaned back, half sitting on the table. “Same reason as to why you bother Hongjoong.”

Seonghwa swallowed, his lower back prickling, his ears growing warm. _If only he’d know…_ he thought, terrified. “Which would be?” he asked, raising his eyebrows in question.

Mingi cocked his head, frowning. “You hate Hongjoong as he hates you, I dislike the Ice King. Easy as that,” he responded, shrugging unbothered.

Seonghwa clenched his jaw, tightly clutching his wand. He was doing this for Yeosang, to make it easier for his friend, this wasn’t about himself and his rivalry with Hongjoong, yet he couldn’t stop his heart from aching at those words. It was stupid because of course— _of course_ —Hongjoong hated him, that was _their_ _thing_ , but he couldn’t help himself when wonder how it’d be if they didn’t. Couldn’t help the small part in his brain hoping that Hyuna had been right, that this was a childish attempt at needing the attention of the other—that hatred looked and felt way different.

Seonghwa shook his head. “Yeosang is not like me, not like you. He… struggles with things that we don’t—wouldn’t even _think_ about twice. Don’t hurt him. Don’t hurt him if you can’t handle the consequences of what you’re doing,” he pleaded quietly.

Mingi scoffed, a bewildered look crossing his eyes. “Can you handle the consequences of what _you_ are doing?” he asked.

Seonghwa parted his lips, unsure what that was supposed to mean. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is about Yeosang and no one else. And I’m asking you to-to stop doing what you’re doing, it’s not good for him.” He felt himself grow frustrated, he wondered why he had even bothered dragging the tall Hufflepuff into the classroom, he clearly didn’t care.

Mingi sounded flippantly when he spoke again, “You can’t expect me to babysit him like you do. We’re the same age. Hell, he’s older than me by two months even! I’m not going to sit there and constantly keep an eye on him; some people actually want to learn and pay attention in class, not check up on the little Ice King every two seconds—” He choked on his words, eyes widening when Yeosang stepped into the classroom.

Seonghwa parted his mouth in surprise, a little gasp escaping him, and he flushed in guilt. He knew Yeosang wouldn’t exactly be angry at him for looking after him, he knew Seonghwa had done it with good intentions, but Yeosang didn’t like the feeling as though he was fragile and could break apart at any moment. And he didn’t particularly enjoy being discussed behind his back like this.

“I don’t need babysitting,” said Yeosang and walked up to the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, seizing them up with a rather dark look. “But your lack in empathy is truly astounding, Song Ming.” He shot the tall boy a cold look, shaking his head. “Please don’t do this again,” he demanded, addressing Seonghwa now, completely ignoring Mingi and his terrible attempts at recomposing himself after Yeosang’s words.

“I’m sorry,” muttered Seonghwa, looking down at his shoes. “I won’t do it again,” he promised.

“I know you were just trying to help, but not like that. Not without my consent and behind my back,” Yeosang told him, feeling strangely empowered by voicing his discomfort. He could feel both: eternally grateful that his friends wanted to help him, and also entitled to _how_ he wanted them to be helpful; and this wasn’t _it_. He was allowed to say that. He was finally understanding this. “You shouldn’t have to worry about me so much, Seonghwa, I can handle things—I want to do more things on my own.” Seonghwa nodded his head, a small and proud smile blooming on his face. Yeosang glanced at Mingi, who stood there silently and awkwardly. “And I am certainly more than capable to deal with Song and his stupidity.”

Mingi scoffed, offended.

“I don’t know why you’re acting so tough and brave, little Ice King, but you can’t intimidate me,” Mingi told him haughtily. 

Yeosang rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t matter why. Just know that I’m not going to endure more of your bullshit.”

Seonghwa stayed quiet, this was in between them, he had little to do with their personal rivalry, like none of them had anything to do with his own antagonism with Hongjoong. There was their group competitiveness—the pranks, the hexing, the Quidditch rivalry—and then there were those small and personal jabs and taunts, that they all dealt with. Just like no one could come in between Hongjoong and Seonghwa, no one came in between Mingi and Yeosang; those were the rules. 

“And stop calling me little Ice King, it’s really _fucking_ annoying,” Yeosang demanded, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Oh, but that’s why I’m doing it because you hate it,” Mingi told him, smirking. There was a glint in his eyes when Yeosang scoffed irritated and turned towards Seonghwa. He was quite obviously enjoying how railed up Yeosang got, but there was something else there, it was soft and gentle, like he sincerely wanted the Ravenclaw’s attention. Needed it, craved it.

Seonghwa swallowed, wondering if he held the same look in his eyes when he purposefully irritated Hongjoong.

“Let’s leave, I’m hungry,” Yeosang said and walked towards the door of the classroom.

Seonghwa was momentarily caught up in what he saw in Mingi’s eyes, realizing that perhaps he wasn’t alone and they weren’t so different when it came to their ‘hate’ that had shifted that year.

**~*~**

It was a few days before the first Quidditch match, Slytherin versus Gryffindor, so the tension in between the two houses raised, making the air cackle and every encounter ended in students getting hexed or having fire spewing pills slipped into their food.

Thankfully Wooyoung didn’t care much for Quidditch, he spent his breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours with the Ravenclaws to get out of the crossfire. But it was the wizarding sport that brought the Ravenclaws and their Gryffindor down to the Quidditch field on one Tuesday afternoon. It was already dark, but there were bright lights standing towering around the pitch.

Surprisingly it had been Jongho’s idea to prank the Hufflepuffs during their Quidditch practice; he usually, much in the same nature as Yunho, tended to stay out of the plotting, only participating in the execution as he loved pranks. This was different, though, they came together to avenge Yeosang, it was more personal, more calculated than their usual pranks—it hadn’t been a Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff thing. Jongho adored Yeosang, so it hadn’t even been a question if he’d tag along with them. After the encounter with Mingi, Yeosang had agreed to take revenge, much to his friends’s enjoyment.

They crossed the wide Hogwarts grounds quietly, only their steps on the grass and an owl hooting somewhere in the night to be heard, but the closer they got to the field, they picked up on voices and the typical sounds surrounding Quidditch—a bat hitting a Bludger, a Quaffle hitting one of the rings, the swooshing sound someone flying fast on their broom. Seonghwa’s premature _Schadenfreude_ only grew the closer they got, giddy and ready to make Hongjoong as miserable as possible.

Jongho had hatched out quite a fun plan, they’d behex the Bludgers to have a mind of their own, spiraling out of control, impossible for Mingi—the Hufflepuff Beater—to even chance a clear hit. They’d make his broom rattle and shake, giving him a bit of a fright. Seonghwa himself had already plotted to have Hongjoong’s become too slow to chase after the Golden Snitch. It was no news that their Hufflepuff rivals took Quidditch very seriously, prideful of their victory the previous year and in their second year.

Tampering with Hongjoong’s main source of pride was too much fun, watch him become frustrated—which wasn’t all too hard to achieve—and throw temper tantrums. Seonghwa couldn’t wait to witness that, perhaps sneak close enough to film it as blackmail material. 

Faintly, Seonghwa recalled the words Hyuna had spoken. He did think of them quite a lot these days, any moment he played with the idea of bothering Hongjoong, wondering if perhaps she had been right and he was only trying to get Hongjoong’s attention. He shook his head; _it wasn’t that,_ he told himself. Still, the doubt tended to cloud his mind and paralyze him, leaving him to stare after Hongjoong in wonderment.

“Come on,” Wooyoung whispered, walking quietly towards the Quidditch field, letting the darkness cover them from the unsuspecting Hufflepuffs.

They hid behind the changing rooms, edging by the wall so that their figures wouldn’t fall into the light.

Up in the sky, Seonghwa spotted Mingi, swirling the bat in his hand as he flew slowly and eyed the pitch stretching out below him. His dark blue hair looked like the midnight sky during a full moon, his face was rather relaxed.

“The honor is all yours,” Jongho said, stretching out his arm, his palms pointed upwards, as if he was giving Yeosang the stage. “Do your worst.”

Yeosang stepped forward, still hidden mostly by the night, and drew out his wand from underneath his robes. He tended to stick it into his trousers waistband instead of hiding it away in his pocket. He pointed it at Mingi, mumbling the spell quietly.

They waited with rapt interest, watching Mingi’s every movement. Seonghwa smirked when the Beater missed the Bludger, leaning forward too much. He gripped his broom tightly, a deep frown blooming between his eyebrows. He shrugged it off, his relaxed manners vanishing as he threw himself into the game, aiming to hit the next Bludger he saw. He missed again and again, the way his frustrations grew was delicious to watch. 

Yeosang had a pleased smile on his face. “Fucker,” he muttered. “Serves him right.”

“Look, Kim is flying towards him. You reckon he’s scolding him?” Wooyoung questioned, the giddiness in his voice badly concealed. “Ah, shit, they’re looking around!”

The four boys quickly made sure to hide themselves behind the changing rooms, waiting with racing hearts. Jongho was the first to move, daring to peek around the wall at the Quidditch field.

“I think they suspect they’re being messed with,” he said. “But they haven’t spotted us, yet, which means we can proceed.”

Yeosang nodded, moving to loom behind Jongho, on his tiptoes so he could look past him. He pointed his wand again, mumbling a different spell.

Mingi’s surprised yelp was heard all the way down to where they stood. Wooyoung let out a snort, covering his mouth to stop himself from giving in to his shrieking laughter. Yeosang’s smile was wonderful, clearly enjoying himself.

Seonghwa had noticed lately that Yesoang didn’t hold back as much anymore; if he wanted to be angry he let himself be, if he wanted to be happy and laugh, he did. It was truly rewarding to see the progress he was doing, therapy obviously helping him alleviate his stress and anxiety.

“I can see your fingertips bursting with the need to create chaos, Hwa,” muttered Wooyoung amusedly. “Go on, do what you must.”

Seonghwa threw a smile over his shoulder and stepped forward as well, next to Jongho and Yeosang, who were watching Mingi absolutely ruining the Hufflepuff practice. Seonghwa held his wand up, thinking of the spell he had found in one of the books in the Library some weeks earlier, he hadn’t had the chance to try it out, yet, until then.

“ _Tardius Moveri_!”

Hongjoong, who was flying away from scolding Mingi once again, his frustrations already growing, if the tense set of his shoulders and jaw were any indication, let out a groan as his broom didn’t obey him. He stopped flying, readjusting himself, and then tried once again, wanting to fly downwards, but it took him double the time. The irritated cry he let out carried over to them, and Seonghwa smirked.

“This is so entertaining,” Wooyoung mumbled, pushing his head through the gap left in between Yeosang and Seonghwa. “This is sweeter than any Hogwarts dessert.”

Yeosang scoffed. “Debatable! Hogwarts’s desserts are literally the best thing in the world, nothing tops that.”

Wooyoung rolled his eyes. “Don’t ruin this moment.”

“Fine!” Yeosang called out petulantly, perhaps a bit too loudly, for the Hufflepuff Captain looked directly in their direction.

“ _Shit_!” Jongho called out, moving back quickly and forcefully, taking Yeosang with him, who reached out his hand to grab something which happened to be his friends. The four of them went down brusquely and in an entanglement of limbs and robes. Someone groaned, another one cursed—most likely Wooyoung. “Oh, no,” Jongho said quietly from underneath his friends as approaching footsteps grew closer.

“Agh, get up, get up,” Wooyoung urged them all, pulling Yeosang up by his arm. 

Hongjoong came around the corner, an angry expression pulling his face into an ugly grimace, Mingi close behind.

“ _Stupefy_!” Seonghwa swished his wand swift as the wind, the spell hitting the Hufflepuff Captain strongly. “Run!” he yelled, Wooyoung already ahead with Jongho close on his heels. Yeosang had stayed back, waiting on Seonghwa.

Mingi helped Hongjoong up. “Hey! Assholes!” he cursed them out as they left into the night, Wooyoung’s giggles haunting the castle’s grounds.

“Ah, that was so much fun!” Yeosang said, giggling gleefully. His eyes met Seonghwa’s, twinkling even in the darkness.

“Yes!” Seonghwa agreed. “I’m glad you decided to take revenge.” Yeosang nodded his head in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo,, thoughts?? 
> 
> next update might take a while bc ill be busy next week zzZZzZzz


	8. The Traitorous Lion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole chapter is going to be in Wooyoung's POV, getting to know his story a bit more ^^
> 
> CW: mentions of death & murder

Not even the delicious scent of vanilla pudding coming from the Great Hall could distract Wooyoung of the vicious whispers that bounced off the stone walls that mid November morning. He tried to listen in when he passed by a larger group of students, but they quietened down the moment they saw him coming closer.

Wooyoung realized with a heavy heart and trembling fingers that these whispers were about _him._

He quickened his pace, raising his chin as he walked down the staircase to the Entrance Hall and returning any lingering and curious glances he received on his way to the Great Hall. It reminded him of his first year at Hogwarts. 

During breakfast and dinner, the chatter inside the big dining room was always the loudest, but that morning it was nearly deafening. More so, when dozens of eyes turned on Wooyoung the moment he crossed the enormous double-door.

Still with his chin held high he walked towards the Ravenclaw table—his safe space in these kind of situations—where Seonghwa and Yeosang already were seated at. Both with grim looks on their faces as they stared at Wooyoung. Seonghwa held the _Daily Prophet_ tightly in his left hand, in the other he held a cup of cinnamon tea. On the newspaper front page, Wooyoung could make out the words ‘Dementor’s Kiss’ and ‘third trial for Mr Jeong’, and the blood in his veins ran cold.

The abnormal clamor in the Great Hall, the many prying stares… It all made sense when Wooyoung snatched the _Daily Prophet_ out of Seonghwa’s grip, who protested weakly. There was no point in trying to shield Wooyoung from the truth—even if time again and again Seonghwa tried to protect his friends, some truths needed to be set free.

There was a picture on the front page of the newspaper that Wooyoung had seen twice in his life. The first time at six, without the knowledge of what his parents had done; the second time at nine, when he had already understood some more about his tragic and terrible past. Now the third time, at fifteen, Wooyoung knew he wasn’t his parents’s sins, yet he held the scars they had left on him buried deep beneath his skin and in his heart.

Their shadow was still spread over him and his future.

The _Daily Prophet_ ’s front page that day was enough proof that they still controlled him, now both from behind the curtain. Their status as vicious Death Eaters followed him even after all these years; Wooyoung felt people’s fingers pointed at him, their gazes boring holes into his back and skull. He knew they looked at him and didn’t see a fellow student, didn’t see a Gryffindor; they saw the son of murderers—a _threat._

“Woo,” Yeosang began, hesitantly, and reached out his hand, but Wooyoung shook his head.

He mutely sat down on the bench, staring at his father’s picture. The murderous look in his eyes, full of hate and bloodlust. Wooyoung shuddered.

He read the same sentence in the _Daily Prophet_ over and over again, trying to leave it ingrained in his mind. Every time he had a nightmare in which he died at the hands of his own father, he needed this sentence to appear so he could fall back asleep immediately. He needed this truth to replace all the other truths about his father. _Death Eater Jeong Hajoon received the Dementor’s Kiss early this morning after refusing his third trial, claiming he’d never repent over the killings he committed—with the help of his wife, Jeong Dahyun—in between the years of 1991 and 2000_. 

Wooyoung’s father was dead now, just like his mother.

They never, truly, had been his parents, but the hole that opened in Wooyoung’s chest was only theirs; and he believed he would never quite be able to fill it. Nothing could replace his parents, replace the years spent wondering, the years fearing… 

Wooyoung bit into a toast smeared with fig marmalade that Seonghwa had slid over to him, eating it slowly and deliberately. He needed to go through each action with purpose today—and the following days until his heart and mind would stop spinning—so he wouldn’t slip and end up at the darkest place in his head.

“We can skip classes, if you want to,” Seonghwa offered, his voice low. “We can sneak out to Hogsmeade and—”

Wooyoung shook his head. “No.”

“Okay.” Seonghwa exhaled shakily. “Whatever it is that you want and need.”

“Yes,” agreed Yeosang with a nod of his head; his hand warmly on Wooyoung’s shoulders, drawing soothing circles.

**~*~**

When Wooyoung was six years old he wandered through step-aunt Eunmi’s house, ignoring the first rule she had told him upon his arrival there, three years ago, and that she insisted on reminding him nearly every day, but Wooyoung was curious; damn it!

He pushed the study’s door open tentatively, hoping she wouldn’t hear him sneak into it. Eunmi was a few rooms over, in the kitchen, cooking what she knew was Wooyoung’s favorite meal. She had grown warmer over the years, her initial antagonism towards her nephew stemmed from her hatred towards her step-brother, Wooyoung was just a child—a child with unfortunate parents.

Eunmi’s study was anything but big, especially appearing smaller due to the bookshelves lining the walls left and right, filled, nearly overspilling, with different books in different languages. Right ahead of Wooyoung was her desk, filled with papers and pens and booklets, a desk lamp by the corner of it. The light was turned on already, as she spent a lot of time in there, in between caring for Wooyoung and her office hours over at the Ministry.

Eunmi was a very pragmatic and honest woman, brutally honest some may say; still, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to tell Wooyoung about his parents. Not above what he already knew, which was not much: his mother had died, in front of his eyes, three years ago.

He remembered it, of course—he had had nightmares for a while, until Eunmi supplemented him a potion that gave him a dreamless sleep—but the memory was messy and missing pieces. What he could visualize with scary clarity was the dementor, though, hovering over his mother and sucking her soul out until her heart had stopped beating, his father lying somewhere unconscious.

He shuddered, willing himself out of the memory.

Wooyoung approached Eunmi’s desk, snooping around the different papers that lay scattered on top of it, but they were all incomprehensible for him. They may have been written in a language he spoke, but formulated in a way that made no sense to him. He opened one of the desk drawers, inside he found a slip of the _Daily Prophet_. This he could read already, most of the time anyway.

The date read July 2002 and Wooyoung knew what that day meant. It was when Eunmi had adopted him. 

On the front cover of the _Daily Prophet_ was a picture of a man. He stood with chains around his hands, holding a piece of paper that read the name of Wooyoung’s father: Jeong Hajoon. He screamed at the camera pointed at him. His eyes held a crazy look, his hair was shaved off completely, scars covering his face and scalp. _He looks scary_ , Wooyoung thought.

He didn’t know for how long he stood there, with the newspaper in his hand, and staring at his crazy father, when Eunmi entered the study.

“Wooyoung!” she said scoldingly, marching over to him and snatching the _Daily Prophet_ out of his hand. Her gaze softened the moment she saw the frightened and questioning look on his face.

“What did dad do?” Wooyoung asked, his voice trembling. “Why did mom die?”

Eunmi sighed, sitting down on her desk chair. She pulled Wooyoung on her lap, then she held the newspaper so he could read it.

“See, it says there that Hajoon was detained for being a Death Eater. You know who those were, don’t you?”

Wooyoung nodded. “Yes, the Dark Lord’s followers.”

“They were; and murderers too.”

 _Murderers,_ Wooyoung repeated in his head. He knew what that meant as well, but to associate that with his parents frightened him.

“Mom and dad were murderers?” he asked, turning around to look at his step-aunt.

Eunmi sighed, a sad look in her eyes. “Sadly, they were. I am very sorry Wooyoung, you do not deserve that. They did not deserve to have a son as bright as you.”

Wooyoung sniffled, his eyes stinging.

“Your parents thought that having a child could make their legacy live on, that they could raise you to become as evil and vicious as them,” Eunmi continued explaining, putting the newspaper back into the drawer. “Luckily they were caught, by dumb luck. I’m very sorry you had to witness your mom receiving the Dementor’s Kiss.”

“No, not mom. Dahyun,” he said decidedly. “Dahyun and Hajoon, not my parents.”

Eunmi laughed, it was a broken sound. “As much as you’d like to change that, you carry their blood and last name, Wooyoung. But we can stop calling them your parents if you want that.”

“I want that.”

“After Dahyun received the Demetor’s Kiss, Hajoon was sent off to Azkaban to pay for the crimes he had committed.” She brushed a strand of dark hair out of Wooyoung's face. “They tried to escape the Aurors for a while, but no matter how many times they moved around, they got caught.”

“Hajoon is still in Azkaban?”

“Yes, and as it seems he’s going to stay there for a very long time.”

At six years old Wooyoung still didn’t fully understand the weight of this story—the consequences that it would have later on, when he started his studies at Hogwarts.

When Wooyoung was nine years old, though, he was much more in the understanding of his horrible parents and their horrendous actions.

Eunmi had taken him with her to the Ministry on more than one occasion and the stares he received by her coworkers were anything but nice—pitying if best and distrustful at worst.

The picture of his father screaming maniacally at the camera and Wooyoung crossed paths for a second time. He was in the Ministry of Magic, near the courtrooms, with Eunmi by his side, clutching his sweaty hand.

“Remember Wooyoung, if you don’t want to do this, we can leave. You’re in no obligation of attending this,” she told him with a stern voice. The sternness not directed at him, but at the Ministry for making him go through this.

His father’s case was being reviewed, like so many others after the war. If the accused ones showed remorse there was a chance for them to be freed from Azkaban. 

Wooyoung walked into the courtroom with his heart beating fast in fear and anticipation, Eunmi entered with him and guided him to the row of seats the spectators were requested to sit at. The picture he had seen of his father was hanging by the courtroom’s door, together with many other witches and wizards looking just as vicious as him. 

The case went by in a blur, Wooyoung couldn’t focus on anything except for his father, standing in the middle of the room, detained by chains and in a small cage, like a dangerous animal. _Maybe he is_ , Wooyoung thought with the way Hajoon sneered at the crowd and Ministry workers. Worst of all was the look he gave Wooyoung and Eunmi when he saw them, his eyes so evil and full of vile hatred.

Wooyoung shuddered. Eunmi put a protective hand on the back of his neck, drawing soothing circles to calm him down.

“He can’t hurt you,” she kept whispering, failing to understand that he already had.

Wooyoung was branded for life by his parents’s wrong doings. 

“Come on, little one. We’re going home,” Eunmi told him once the case review was over, dragging him out of the courtroom.

Needless to say that Jeong Hajoon did not regret his actions during the Second Wizarding War, and Wooyoung stayed a cursed child, not quite orphaned but definitely parentless.

Wooyoung couldn’t get his father’s words out of his head, how he had screamed after him and Eunmi, wishing for his own son’s death.

Growing up with the knowledge that his own parents hated him—that they never really had wanted him, just _someone_ to keep their bloodline alive and pure—had been hard enough, but the discovery he made with nine in the Ministry of Magic shattered his world. His father wanted him dead, like all those he had murdered.

With eleven, his relationship towards his parents’s past and what they had done, how they had brand-marked him, changed once again. Wooyoung was so incredibly excited to begin his studies at Hogwarts. His initial enthusiasm and eagerness to learn and make friends was drastically sucked out of him when got stares and whispers in the Hogwarts Express; they only worsened during the Sorting Ceremony, when he got sorted into Gryffindor.

Wooyoung had come from a family of Slytherins, even Eunmi had been a Slytherin in her days at Hogwarts, taking a different path after her studies had been over, joining those to fight against the Dark Lord rather than with him. 

Naturally, the Gryffindors eyed him with suspicion, not seeing a peer, but instead a spy and the son of notorious and cruel Death Eaters, believing him to be one of them; then there were the Slytherins—those few that still believed in blood statuses and the eliteness of the Slytherin house—who saw Wooyoung as a traitor and a weakling.

To say that his first days at the castle were rough was an understatement. No one quite managed to get along with him, their prejudices prevented them from connecting with him. Of course, Wooyoung had his own preservations, realizing quickly enough that he was going to get hurt, and so he protected himself against them and their poisonous words.

At least on the outside; in between classes and eating hours, Wooyoung often searched for unlocked and empty classrooms he could disappear into to cry his soul out.

On one of those days, after some mean Gryffindors had called him a traitorous lion and said they’d have him expelled out of Hogwarts for being evil and foul at the core, Wooyoung entered a bathroom on the third floor.

He thought he was alone when he stepped into one of the stalls, closing the door behind himself and sitting onto the closed lid of the toilet, but before he could even start sobbing he heard someone sniffle quietly a few stalls over.

“Um, hello?” Wooyoung called curiously.

The sniffling came to a stop. “Uh,” the person answered, “who’s there?”

“Sorry, I er, came here to cry too, if that’s any consolation?” Wooyoung told the stranger.

There was a short laugh. “You know, it kind of is.” By the sound of his voice, Wooyoung assumed it was a boy, probably fifteen or sixteen. “What’s your name?” the stranger asked then.

“Jeong Wooyoung, yours?”

There was a loud silence and Wooyoung feared that the stranger knew who he was and was judging him, wishing that Wooyoung would leave him alone, but then the sound of a stall opening came and seconds later a knock on the door in front of Wooyoung.

“I’m Choi San,” the boy replied when Wooyoung opened the stall.

To his surprise, it wasn’t a Hogwarts student in front of him—well, technically he _was_ a student, wearing a Slytherin uniform—but a ghost. He had black hair and cat like eyes, his face looked rather ethereal and painfully beautiful. 

“Oh,” Wooyoung let out, letting his eyes roam over the ghost’s body, which wasn’t as transparent as those from other ghosts, and on the cheeks of San he could see tears shimmering in the bathroom’s lights. He wondered if ghosts actually were able to cry real tears? He had always thought they could no longer go through such human functions.

“Tell me, Jeong Wooyoung, why were you crying?” San asked, his tone warm, and the look in his eyes incredibly soft.

“Will you tell me why you cried?” Wooyoung asked in exchange. San hesitated, searching the Gryffindor’s face, and then nodded his head. “I was getting bullied by some Gryffindors.”

San blinked in surprise. “Your own housemates?”

“Yes.” He nodded, the tears already welling up as he thought about it—about how utterly alone he felt. “They don’t really see me as one of theirs. They think I’m… They think I am like my parents.”

“Ah, a common mistake,” San told him. “It happened to me, too. I’m a Slytherin, but I never stood with the more radical ones, that believed in the purity of blood and such.” He shook his head, a grimace pulling at his beautiful features.

“Why did you cry, Choi San?”

San smiled wistfully. “I am terribly alone, little Gryffindor, and if there’s something I’ve always hated, before and after death, it is _loneliness._ I get along with the other ghosts and over the years there have been many students that have come and gone, just like you, but no one stayed.”

Wooyoung cocked his head. “Well, we graduate at some point, we can’t exactly stay here.”

“Exactly.” His voice was so full of sadness and despair that Wooyoung’s heart ached a little.

“I will promise you that after graduation I will come back,” he said driven by impulse, but he found himself truly meaning these words. 

The ghost gave him another sad smile, but didn’t say anything about it, he just stayed in the stall with Wooyoung, silently by his side. It didn’t seem like much, but it was the kindest thing someone had done for him in Hogwarts so far.

During a terribly rainy day in late October, Wooyoung was pushed into a cold stone wall by the first floor, a group of Slytherins and Gryffindors standing in front of him, their arms crossed in front of their chests and nasty smiles pulling at their lips.

“We’ve heard that your beloved aunt was under observation,” one of them said. “She’s just like your father, isn’t she?”

“No!” Wooyoung cried out, indignated and scared. “Eunmi is _nothing_ like Hajoon!”

A round of ugly laughter reverberated through the otherwise empty corridor. Their leader, a fourth year Gryffindor scoffed.

“Yeah, right,” he said. “Then tell us, _why_ was she under observation, huh?”

Wooyoung pressed his lips together, not knowing himself as Eunmi liked to keep him out of her Ministry business, claiming he was too young to know. Perhaps she was right about that, but it wasn’t as if Wooyoung got to be a child really, inside or outside of Hogwarts likewise, his parents’s stories preceded him.

“Thought so,” the Gryffindor said.

“Hey!” a voice called out from the end of the corridor. The group turned around startled, Wooyoung peeked through their bodies to stare at the stranger. It was a first year Ravenclaw he shared some classes with. His name was Park Seonghwa and Wooyoung had seen him hang out with his old childhood friend, Kang Yeosang. “Why don’t you pick on someone your size, huh?” he asked them, walking closer, his wand already in his hand and held high.

“And who would that be; _you_?” the Gryffindor asked tauntingly. “Don’t make me laugh.”

Seonghwa squinted his eyes, coming to a stop when he stood in front of them. He gave Wooyoung an incredibly soft and encouraging look.

“You all right?” he asked.

Wooyoung was too perplexed to answer, so he just nodded his head.

“Piss off, Ravenclaw, this has nothing to do with you,” said a Slytherin, shoving Seonghwa by his shoulder.

For a first year, he was tall and his bushy and pronounced eyebrows added onto his already intimidating image. His raven black hair was pushed away from his forehead, parted by the side, and slightly wet as if he had showered, or maybe had been caught in the rain.

“Don’t touch me,” Seonghwa hissed at the Slytherin, warningly raising his wand at him.

“What are you going to do? Perform some first year spell?”

Seonghwa tilted his head, a dangerous smile blooming on his face. “ _Colloshoo_!” He casted the spell at the Slytherin, then without letting anyone react, he added quickly as the wind, “ _Titillando_!”

The Slytherin convulsed, letting out shrieking laughter, he flushed in embarrassment as he hugged himself, crouching down.

“Make it stop,” he wheezed.

The Gryffindor drew out his wand and pointed it at Seonghwa.

“ _Petrificus_ _Totalus_!” Seonghwa yelled before the other was through with pronouncing his spell. The Gryffindor froze up, standing like a statue.

“What the…?” another student said, taking a step back as he stared in wonderment at Seonghwa.

The Ravenclaw raised his wand at the three remaining students, the three exchanged a look before they bolted out of the corridor.

Seonghwa looked down at his victims. “Not a single word, and you won’t lay a hand on him ever again, do you hear me?” he demanded.

The still convulsing Slytherin nodded his head. “Please just… make it stop.”

After Seonghwa casted the counter spells, he grabbed Wooyoung by his hand and dragged him away from the Gryffindor and Slytherin, towards the staircase.

“What spells did you cast at them?” Wooyoung asked at some point, curiosity getting the best of him.

“Ah, nothing major, just some tickling charm and I turned the Gryffindor into stone,” he replied with a wicked smile. Wooyoung decided he already liked him, the fearlessness, the kindness.

They descended the stairs in silence and entered the Great Hall, which was already brimming with life as dinner was only minutes away. He didn’t let go of Wooyoung’s hand when he walked to the Ravenclaw table.

“You can sit with me and my friend, if you’d like,” he said once they were sitting down. “I’m Park Seonghwa, by the way.”

Wooyoung was too stunned to say anything for a moment, his mind still in the corridor and the quick and swift way in which Seonghwa had casted those spells, as if he had years upon years of training and wasn’t just a mere first year.

“Ah, um, my name is Jeong Wooyoung. Nice to meet you.”

Seonghwa smiled brightly at him. “Yes, nice to meet you!”

“Thank you for saving me there.”

“It was nothing,” Seonghwa assured him, shaking his head. “They’re jerks!”

Wooyoung opened his mouth to disagree and tell Seonghwa that it wasn’t just nothing, it had meant a great deal to him, but he was interrupted when a painfully familiar person joined them by the Ravenclaw table. The boy had been sitting a few seats away, speaking to a housemate.

Kang Yeosang took the seat next to Seonghwa, at first not paying attention to whom it was that had joined them, but the drastically different colors of Wooyoung’s tie and emblem on his gray sweater must have called to his attention as Yeosang blinked at him in surprise.

He stared for a moment, gaping. Wooyoung felt his defensive side come alive, scared that his old friend would look at him in the same way as everyone else.

“Wooyoung?” Yeosang searched his face and then he tentatively got up to walk towards Wooyoung. “What are you doing here?”

“Um, Seonghwa brought me with him,” he replied, scared still that Yeosang was going to say something mean; it didn’t seem like it, but Wooyoung had learned just how quickly people could turn on him. How quickly he could be brought into loneliness.

“Oh?” The Ravenclaw eyed his friend in wonderment. “Well, it’s really good to see you. I’m sorry for not speaking to you earlier, I was really nervous. I thought that maybe you had forgotten about me?”

Wooyoung shook his head vehemently, getting up as well so he stand in front of Yeosang. “No, how could I? We were best friends!”

Yeosang slowly started to smile, his whole face instantly changing. It always had been so wonderful to observe, how a simple smile could take away the serious and blank look on his face and transform it into something so beautiful and warm.

“Yes, we were—We can be, again.”

“I’d love that,” Wooyoung told him honestly, hesitantly reaching up his arms and shooting Yeosang a questioning glance, asking for permission to hug him.

He didn’t get an answer, instead he got a handful of Yeosang, who threw himself into Wooyoung’s arms to hug him tightly. Wooyoung’s eyes stung a bit.

He had lost so much throughout his life already, now he was getting something back—someone important.

**~*~**

It was late November when they received some answers regarding the Dark Magic.

They were sitting in the Great Hall for dinner, moving their food around on their plates and wondering why they had filled them up so much as their bellies couldn’t take more. A little bit of ruckus interrupted the otherwise calm atmosphere, as owls flocked into the Great Hall, landing here and there to deliver packages.

Wooyoung spotted Eunmi’s owl, it held a piece of parchment in its claws which it delivered near his plate before it flew off again, most likely to the Owlery to stay there for the night, cuddled close to Avis and Treasure (Seonghwa’s owl).

Wooyoung ripped the letter open, Seonghwa and Yeosang watched him attentively. He read through it before he shared her words with them.

“Firstly, consider yourselves tightly hugged by Eunmi,” he said, smiling; he cleared his throat, a somber look on his face now. “Now regarding the attack at Hogsmeade, she can’t reveal much as it is classified information, but she says there have been more happening lately and the Ministry doesn’t know who’s behind them. They’re scared that it might be something bigger, like with the Dark Lord…”

A heavy silence befell the three students.

Wooyoung felt something unpleasant and tight in his stomach, the thoughts of his parents crashing back, especially fresh after the news that his father had received the Dementor’s Kiss, not regretting any of his actions and staying true to the Dark Lord’s ways.

“Do you think it’ll get as bad as it used to?” Seonghwa asked, the edge of his voice trembling. He was Muggle-born, this was most frightening to him.

“No,” Wooyoung said decidedly. “They’ll catch whoever is doing this, and if they dare to enter Hogwarts and hurt anyone here— _hurt_ _you_ —I’ll personally kill them,” he promised Seonghwa.

“Yes, we will fend them off,” Yeosang added.

Seonghwa smiled faintly, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, he was stuck staring at Eunmi’s letter. Wooyoung couldn’t imagine what he must be feeling, knowing this looming threat was now present and that he was in danger simply because his parents were Muggles, something he couldn’t control. Something that shouldn’t make him less.

“Shall we speak of something different?” Seonghwa said then, shaking his head as if he was fighting off thoughts. “I’m not really in the mood for D&D, but we could do something else.”

“Yes, fine by me,” Yeosang responded.

Wooyoung nodded. “We could go visit San; see what he’s up to these days? I haven’t hung out as much with him sadly. He’s been oddly busy.”

“You reckon it could be related to what Seonghwa and Hongjoong found? That student record?”

The Gryffindor’s eyes wandered over to Yeosang, a pensive look on his face. “Possibly. I’m starting to believe that maybe we should try to get involved. Whatever it is, it’s eating at him, and I don’t want to—” he stopped in his words, biting the inside of his cheek, afraid to carry on.

It was no secret to his friends what he felt for the Slytherin. It had started the year before, but his adoration and admiration towards San had been there since the day they had met. It had grown over the years, changed into something deeper and different, and at fifteen Wooyoung realized that he was a tiny bit in love with San. 

Wooyoung wasn’t sure which was more tragic, that San clearly didn’t feel the same or that he was a ghost. Even if there were feelings the Slytherin might be harboring towards the Gryffindor, it wasn’t something to last or work out for Wooyoung would grow older and San wouldn’t, stuck at being sixteen for eternity.

“You don’t want to what?” asked Seonghwa.

“I don’t want to lose him,” he answered, blushing.

Yeosang frowned. “He’s already dead—Sorry,” he added quickly when Seonghwa shot him a reproachful look and Wooyoung flinched. “It’s the truth though. He’s dead, I don’t think you can lose someone more than that…”

“Well, whatever it is, I think I— _We_ might lose him.”

Seonghwa cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you ever wondered why San isn’t like the other ghosts? Why he isn’t as transparent? Why he seems more human?” Wooyoung asked them.

“You’ve got a point,” Seonghwa was the first to speak, scratching his chin distractedly. “It is weird.”

“Very,” Yesoang added. “Have you asked him?”

“Of course I have. He just dodges these kind of questions, all the time. It’s exhausting.”

“I’m sorry,” Seonghwa said, giving him a sympathetic smile, noticing that Wooyoung was suffering by San’s complete avoidance of the topic of his own death and ghost state. That he didn’t take Wooyoung seriously enough—trust him enough—to answer all these questions.

“Then it’s settled, we’re paying San a visit later,” Yeosang promised Wooyoung.

Seonghwa hummed in agreement.

They went back into silence, throwing themselves at the desserts once the food magically disappeared from their plates, leaving the sparkly clean. Even if their bellies had been stuffed and Wooyoung had complained about having eaten so much, there still was a little bit of room for dessert. No one could say no to Hogwarts’s chocolate and vanilla puddings, or the assortment of three layered cakes that, with one glance at them, could make someone’s mouth water—the strawberry cake with shiny fruits on top of a coat of whipped cream, the marzipan cake with the walnuts stuck into it, the heavenly chocolate cake with the cream just pouring out of its center. 

Yeosang didn’t even look ashamed when he loaded his plate to the brim.

Half an hour later, the Great Hall was emptying itself, the students walking out with happy smiles and sleepy eyes. The trio didn’t join their peers to the respective common rooms, instead they walked up to the third floor and entered the corridor, striding up to one of the latter doors.

Wooyoung pushed it open confidently, like he had done so many times before, but when he stepped inside he stopped dead in his tracks. Yeosang nearly walked into him. Wooyoung shuddered, it was cold inside the bathroom, one of the windows wide open.

San stood in the middle of the bathroom, his back towards them, and was ranking his hands through his hair in a distressed manner as he stared at the papers by his feet. The three boys exchanged an alarming look, a silent conversation happening between them. Wooyoung nodded his head and tentatively approached the ghost.

“San,” he called out softly. “San, what is happening?”

San looked up surprised, as if he hadn’t even noticed them entering the bathroom. He parted his lips, trying in vain to hide the papers scattered on the floor, but Yeosang was quicker, snatching one up.

He was quiet for a moment as he read it, a frown appeared between his eyebrows. “This is Jongho’s student record,” he said slowly, looking up to stare questioningly at San.

“I—” San began, his voice trembling. For a ghost he looked wrecked, so much more translucent than usual. “I should probably tell you…”

“Yes, you should,” Wooyoung said, feeling hurt that San had kept a secret from him.

“When I died, it wasn’t—I wasn’t just a casualty during the Second Wizarding War, I was murdered for protecting a secret,” he revealed. Wooyoung gasped, his heart feeling so much heavier. “I can’t… I can’t tell you why, yet, but I promise you once I’ve cleared all of this up, I will tell you. Just know that there’s something going on in and outside of Hogwarts… Something so incredibly dark and,” he paused, his voice shaking, “and I think it’s tied to Jongho.”

“What do you mean tied to Jongho?” Seonghwa asked, preoccupied.

“I’m not entirely sure yet,” San told him. “It could be another student, but with the black blood pouring out of his wound, I can’t help but think this-this matter is related to his birth. Even before he was born already.”

“San, you must tell us,” Wooyoung pleaded, but the Slytherin ghost shook his head.

“I’m still too unsure and it’s dangerous, so very dangerous. I’m just trying to protect you, but there will come a time that I will need your help.”

There was a short, tense silence.

“We will be there, San,” Yeosang promised him.

“Yes, we will help you. We trust you,” Wooyoung reassured him.

“Thank you.” San exhaled in relief. Wooyoung thought how utterly strange it was for a ghost to exhale, he wasn’t supposed to breath, just like he wasn’t supposed to cry; so what did it mean when ghosts breathed?

When ghosts cried?

San got ahold of Jongho’s student record, which Yeosang was still holding, and folded it to leave it atop the sinks.

“I believe it is late already,” San said then, a scolding tone instead of the before hesitant one. “Much too late for you guys to be roaming around the castle. Come on, move along, boys, you need to sleep!”

They groaned in unison, but didn’t try to disagree with the Slytherin ghost, walking out of the bathroom obediently.


	9. Ravenclaw vs Hufflepuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for 235 kudos hehe🥰

December broke in harshly, like a rock crashing through a window, its glass shattering like the last sun rays, and with it only clouds and rain and strong wind enunciated the days. Seonghwa didn’t particularly mind, he liked the cold, it made him hope that it would snow that year as well, like it had all the previous ones.

It was already dimming when he walked with Yeosang and Wooyoung, and all the other students down to the Groundskeeper’s hut for their _Care of Magical Creatures_ class. The Ravenclaws were complaining to their friend about the _Potions_ class they had just shared with the Hufflepuffs, while the Gryffindor listened intently, pulling a face at all the right places and laughing when Yeosang explained them how Hongjoong had nearly dropped his wand into the cauldron. 

These days, Yeosang didn’t shy back from arguing with the Hufflepuffs, much in the same fashion as Seonghwa and Wooyoung tended to do.

“Well, my DADA class was pretty uneventful. Professor Lee showed us some complicated spell to reveal a werewolf’s identity, but of course we can’t perform it… It’s not as if there are any werewolves here at Hogwarts,” he said with a shrug. “Yunho got into an argument with her, though, overly sensitive when she mentioned the spell. He said that not all werewolves are bad and so on.”

“Maybe he’s right,” Yeosang reflected. “I mean, there’s the _Wolfsbane_ potion—I think we studied it in our second year—that makes them completely aware of their identity while transformed.”

“I agree, but you should’ve seen him… Never seen him participate so much in class.”

“You reckon Professor Namjoon would have us ever study a werewolf?” Seonghwa asked, shivering at the idea of it. He thought of werewolves in the Muggle folklore and media, mostly portrayed as terrible monsters forgetting their own identity.

“I mean it would have to be a full moon… I don’t think anyone wants to be in the Forbidden Forest at night time,” Wooyoung pointed out.

“Plus, they are not _fucking_ zoo animals that you can stare at for your own amusement,” said a venomous voice behind them. They turned around startled, coming face to face with a very angry looking Hongjoong. Mingi stood tall by his side with an impassive look on his face.

“ _Hongjoong_ ,” Yunho said quietly; softly laying a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Damn, what crawled up his ass?” Wooyoung asked; the expression came from Jongho. Wooyoung often picked up their Muggle slang, infinitely enjoying it.

Yeosang snorted.

“ _Nothing_ crawled up my ass.” Hongjoong gave him a freaked out look.

“Not yet,” Wooyoung muttered, while Mingi said, “That’s disgusting.”

Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong, just briefly, feeling strange, like he mostly did these days when Hongjoong was there. His feelings were a complete mess. He couldn’t really say anymore what he _actually_ felt for him. He wasn’t sure if he still hated him, mostly he just found him irritating, but he had as well noticed that the Hufflepuff Prefect was quite pretty and very loyal to his friends. 

He had noticed, in between moments, that Hongjoong had a tendency to jiggle his legs under the table during classes, that he had a rather messy handwriting, and that he was very hardworking. He had noticed that when Hongjoong talked he used his hands a lot to accentuate what he was saying and when he laughed he buried his head into his friends’s shoulders, as if he was shy of his own glee.

Seonghwa didn’t know what it meant for him to notice these things, and if he found them as annoying as he found Hongjoong or if they made him more likeable.

Right now, Hongjoong stood in front of his friends in a protective way, with his arms crossed in front of his chest as he bickered back and forth with Wooyoung. Yeosang slipped in the occasional argument in favor of their Gryffindor.

Seonghwa shook his head, completely zoned out. He did notice Yunho staring at him and he blushed, realizing that Yunho had probably caught him staring at Hongjoong.

“If we don’t hurry, Professor Namjoon is going to write us all up, and I don’t think any of us fancy detention together,” Seonghwa said over the arguing. The words made the group quieten down.

“You’re right. We don’t want that,” Hongjoong agreed, brushing past him. His shoulder bumping into Seonghwa’s, who felt his heart flutter strangely.

To suffocate that feeling Seonghwa turned around. “Watch where you’re going!” he called after the Hufflepuff.

“I am! That was _intentional_!” Hongjoong said over his shoulder, Mingi already followed him.

Yunho stood awkwardly in front of them, playing with the hem of his robes. “Ah… This is so unnecessarily messy,” he said to no one in particular, his mysterious statement hanging in the air as he left.

“What does he mean by that?” Wooyoung asked.

“No clue, but Seonghwa _is_ right. We should hurry.” Yeosang pulled them with him by their robes, making them move.

They walked down the narrow path, Professor Namjoon’s hut coming into few. The small and round place always looked so strange during spring and summer, but during this cold season, with the Forbidden Forest behind it, and those naked few trees around it, it just looked picturesque. From the chimney a column of smoke grew into the already gray sky. 

Professor Namjoon stood by the door, his hands pushed into his thick coat’s pockets. The students reunited in front of him. He shot the Ravenclaws and their Gryffindor a look when they rushed to join their peers, but he didn’t call them out on their tardiness.

“Today,” he began excitedly, “we are going to be studying some very special creatures. Some of you might be able to see them, for the better or the worse.” Wooyoung let out a resigned sigh. “For those that can’t see them, you’ll have to trust your fellow classmates’s words.”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Wooyoung mumbled. Seonghwa had an idea about what creature Professor Namjoon was talking about.

“You already learned about thestrals—who pull Hogwarts’s carriages—two years ago, but you were deemed too young then to study them fully. The sight of them can be quite frightening! I still remember when I saw my first thestral, I cried for an hour!” He chuckled good naturedly. “My husband still likes to remind me of it,” he added abashed. “Is there anyone here who can see them?”

A few hands raised into the air, Wooyoung and Mingi in between those that did.

“Everyone team up with someone that has seen them. We will go into the clearing in the Forbidden Forest and feed them. Maybe one of you will be brave enough to pet one!” He glanced at the students with mirth, as if it was something someone would like to do, pet a thestral. Professor Namjoon walked past the students, towards buckets filled to the brim with raw meat. “I’ll need a few strong ones to carry these buckets. You Quidditch Captains should possess the core strength.” He shot a look at Seonghwa, Hongjoong, and Kim Jiwoo, the Gryffindor Captain.

Seonghwa nodded his head, grabbing two buckets. With a badly concealed groan he lifted them up.

“Or maybe someone doesn’t,” Hongjoong teased him quietly, smirking sufficiently as he lifted two buckets as well, straightening his back.

Seonghwa mimicked his statement, grimacing, and rolled his eyes at the immature Hufflepuff. “Must I remind you of your colossal loss against us last year?”

“Must _I_ remind _you_ that we won the Quidditch Cup despite it?”

Professor Namjoon was walking ahead of them, speaking to some Gryffindor girls, the rest of students around them. Yeosang and Wooyoung were near Seonghwa, talking quietly.

“Hardly something to brag about… I still beat you.”

Hongjoong shook his head, shifting his weight. They were entering now the Forbidden Forest, the trees were growing closer and the cusps spread out like a roof, darkening everything around them instantly.

“No,” he said. “Your team won against ours.”

Seonghwa was quiet, squinting his eyes at him. “What are you suggesting?”

The Hufflepuff returned his look, a grin blooming on his face. For a moment it was almost as if they had some inside joke and Hongjoong wasn’t actually provoking him. The moment was gone just as quickly as it had come, the Hufflepuff’s grin going from mischievous to arrogant within seconds, transforming his whole face.

“A secret match,” he whispered, eyeing Professor Namjoon to make sure he didn’t hear them. “You versus me. You can recruit Yeosang, I’ll have Mingi. Wooyoung and Yunho will watch over the game, to make sure no one tampers with the other team’s equipment,” he explained, as if he had often thought about it. An annoyed look crossed his face as he mentioned the last bit and Seonghwa was brought back to that one night, almost a month ago, when they sneaked out to disturb the Hufflepuff team practice.

He grinned. “We would _never_ do such a thing.”

“I _saw_ you! You literally did!” Hongjoong exploded, nearly dropping the bucket in his fury. A few students turned around to give him startled looks. “Mingi could’ve fallen off his broom,” he added then with a dark look.

“You really think we would risk him plummeting to his death? I practiced some falling spells beforehand, like _Arresto Momentum_.” This stunned Hongjoong into silence, shooting Seonghwa an odd look.

“Well… The challenge still stands,” the Hufflepuff only said.

“I’ll think about it.”

“What? Are you scared?” taunted him Hongjoong, but Seonghwa wasn’t going to bite the bait.

“No, but I will discuss it with Yeosang and Wooyoung, and Jongho.”

“ _Fine_.” Seonghwa caught him rolling his eyes and decided to ignore it.

The day just needed to end, he was tired and yearned for some deserved free time. He couldn’t wait for the 21st of December, when they’d have some blessed holidays.

When they reached the clearing he heard a Slytherin boy gasp out, staring at something Seonghwa couldn’t see. He was glad he couldn’t, the way Wooyoung had described them, they didn’t sound like the most pleasant sight. Seonghwa turned around to check up on his friend. The Gryffindor stood close to Yeosang, half hiding behind him with terror in his eyes. He was nibbling on his lower lip. Mingi stood with Yunho, his eyes travelling silently across the clearing, watching the thestrals in wonderment. He didn’t seem as scared as Wooyoung, rather disgusted.

Seonghwa let the buckets down on the ground, a layer of dead leaves covered it and softened all sounds. The Forbidden Forest always gave a feeling of seclusion, as if this was all the world was made of.

Wooyoung made a noise in the back of his throat, like he wanted to scream but was holding back. Seonghwa shot him a questioning look. Wooyoung was staring at something behind Seonghwa and he shuddered the moment he felt hot breath brush over his head, his hair being blown out of his face.

Seonghwa swallowed, standing very still.

“Ah, the thestral mother has taken a liking to you, Mr Park,” Professor Namjoon said, a radiant smile on his face. “Come, give me your hand, you can pet her if you’d like.”

Seonghwa smiled shakily and allowed the professor to guide his hand to the neck of the thestral. He could feel a soft surface underneath his palm, the expected warmth of a living creature radiating off of it, but still Seonghwa could see nothing.

“Excellent!” Professor Namjoon smiled kindly. “Mr Park, why don’t you take care of this thestral and her younglings, together with them.” He pointed in the direction of Yunho, Hongjoong, and Mingi, the two latter had a frown appear at those words, whereas Yunho only smiled in a restrained manner.

Seonghwa nodded his head, slowly and cautiously letting his hand fall off of the thestral. “Of course, Professor.” He waited for the tall man to walk away, fussing over other students. He glowered at the Hufflepuffs, hating how destiny worked. “Can we _please_ work quietly, for once?” he demanded.

“Only if you’re quiet,” Hongjoong shot back.

Seonghwa wanted to scoop out his eyes to prevent himself from rolling them again. At the rate that he was rolling them regarding the Hufflepuff, he feared they might end up popping out of his eyes. 

He felt a migraine forming behind his eyelids as he thought about the almost two full hours he had ahead of him, and then at night time he still had _Astronomy_ with the Hufflepuffs.

Seonghwa looked up to the sky, still feeling the thestral mother close by, what he supposed was her head, was rubbing his arm, as if she demanded his attention, and hoped that whatever higher powers there existed, they’d give him the strength to endure this class.

He exhaled in a long sigh. “Just don’t bother me.”

Yunho’s eyes travelled between the two, eyebrows raised. “I believe in both of you when I say let us survive this class without _any_ petty fights.”

“Doubtful,” muttered Mingi.

“Can we just start?” Seonghwa grabbed one of the buckets, looking at Mingi in question, who, with a resigned sigh and a pinched expression, grabbed a chunk of meat and threw it somewhere near them. They watched, holding their breath, how the piece got devoured by an invisible force. “Anyone have some parchment left? I ran out.”

“Perhaps if you’d actually buy parchment instead of pranking materials…” Hongjoong said under his breath, but Seonghwa still heard it. The Hufflepuff Prefect was crouching down and taking notes in a small notebook, his pen moving on its own as he watched Mingi interact with the thestral family.

“Okay!” Yunho said loudly, coming in between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. “I can lend you some parchment, Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa squinted his eyes, still staring at Hongjoong, who was ignoring him. “All right, thank you.”

With a longing stare, Seonghwa watched Yeosang and Wooyoung work with Keonhee, Hwanwoong, and Chuu. The group appeared to have a lot more fun than Seonghwa’s, they cooperated and worked in perfect harmony. Yeosang caught him staring and shot him a sympathetic smile, giving him a thumbs up.

Seonghwa shook his head; thumbs down he answered with his hand. Yeosang mouthed a _you got this_ with an encouraging smile.

“Stop flirting, Park,” the deep voice of Mingi made him look away from his friend. 

Seonghwa felt himself grow aggravated, he clenched his hand around his pen and the piece of parchment Yunho had lent him. He inhaled and exhaled, hating that he was alone in combating the Hufflepuff force, usually at least one of his friends was there to aid him. But if it was like this, Seonghwa always found difficulty in defending himself, in finding the strength.

Seonghwa depended a lot on his friends, they made him strong and confident.

He rolled his shoulders, moving his head from one side to the other, and approached where he suspected the thestral family was. He glanced at Hongjoong, who was still crouching and scribbling now with his pen in messy handwriting by the edge of his notes, cradling his chin with his free hand in a pensive manner. Seonghwa looked away quickly, not wanting to get caught.

“Song, describe the thestrals to me,” Seonghwa demanded.

The tall boy tilted his head. “There’s a picture in the book.”

“Yes, but I want _you_ to describe it to me.”

Mingi scoffed. “Why?”

Seonghwa shrugged. “Just do me a solid, Song. It isn’t that hard.” He walked up to him, lowering his voice. “I saw how you looked at Yeosang.”

Mingi sputtered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Seonghwa hummed, but Mingi complied and began describing the thestral family to him, their dynamics and how they moved, their wingspan… Hongjoong looked up at them with curiosity, wondering why Mingi had given in so easily.

**~*~**

“Hongjoong challenged us to a secret Quidditch match?” Wooyoung asked, his spoon full of pudding. “Man, he really does not give a _fuck_ about his Prefect role…”

“I mean, I’m not exactly the most stuck up Prefect either,” Seonghwa admitted, thinking of all the times he already had sneaked out of the Ravenclaw Tower in the dead of the night.

“If the professors knew…” Wooyoung chuckled. “Ah, but you’re also extremely hard working and caring,” he added. “You deserve your badge.”

“Thanks.”

“You know what?” Yeosang started. “I say we do this. I am feeling oddly motivated to break the rules.”

“Love that!” Wooyoung exclaimed. “I’m so glad you’re both coming onto the dark side.”

Jongho pouted. “I want to play as well…”

“We can arrange that. Yunho is a fairly good Chaser, I’ve seen him play in his free time,” Wooyoung said.

“Then I tell Hongjoong we’re in?” Seonghwa looked at his friends, waiting for their affirmation.

It was almost ten, the Great Hall thinning out, only the fifth years that took _Astronomy_ were staying as they had yet another class before they could go to bed.

As the holidays were nearing, the yearly Christmas lights were already decorating the grand room, bathing it with soft light, and it made Seonghwa yearn for the break. This year Yeosang was staying, his little brother as well, since their dad was working late shifts at the hospital. Wooyoung always stayed, so that Seonghwa wouldn’t be alone. 

He couldn’t wait to have them all with him that Chritsmas.

Seonghwa grabbed his pen and scribbled their agreement and terms onto a napkin, then he folded it into an airplane, and hexed it so it flew into the air, over the students, to the Hufflepuff table, nearly crashing into Hongjoong’s chocolate pudding. The Hufflepuff wrinkled his nose, giving Seonghwa a confused look. He unfolded the napkin, reading the note, and nodded his head in affirmation.

“It’s settled then, this weekend we’re meeting them for the match.”

Jongho nodded his head and got up. “I think it’s time for me to hit the beds,” he said. “Have fun at _Astronomy_!” He grinned when Wooyoung made a grotesque hand sign.

“Good night, Jongho,” Yeosang said.

“ _Terrible_ night!” Wooyoung called after him. Jongho’s laughter floated through the Great Hall as he exited it.

“Should we get to the Astronomy Tower?” Seonghwa wondered, glancing around as the first fifth years were already getting up to leave for the class.

His friends nodded in affirmation, Wooyoung shoveling the remnants of his pudding into his mouth, spilling some on his robes. Yeosang grimaced in disgust and flicked his wand at his friend, cleaning up the mess.

“Thanks,” Wooyoung said with his mouth full, it sounded a lot more like _fanks_.

“Hmm… You’re gross.”

When they opened the door to the Astronomy Tower, there was a small wooden spiral staircase that they needed to ascend, upstairs was the last door separating them from the huge platform where the class took place at. Seonghwa was the first one, after Professor Kim Seokjin.

They spread out on the platform, already taking out their planetary disks, and approached one of the telescopes further away, so they’d have their peace during the class. They were continuing the assignment from last Saturday.

“Has any of you spoken to Jongho?” Wooyoung asked, looking at the different constellations they were searching for.

“Yes, I’ve tried to subtly ask him if he’s all right,” responded Seonghwa, angling the telescope to the degree they were working with during the previous class. “He’s either really doing okay or he’s very good at hiding it.”

“I’ve asked him about the black blood, if it has happened again, and he went quiet for a moment and then said no. I think he lied,” Wooyoung told them, a frown appearing on his face. “I’ve tried to ask San about the student record, get some information out of him, but he’s like a wall.”

“It’s really frustrating…” Yeosang said, sketching doodles on the side of his notebook as he waited for the class to begin. “I’ve been trying to find anything on the meaning of black blood in the Library but found nothing.”

Seonghwa pulled away from the telescope, pondering. “Do you think perhaps it’s something that hasn’t happened before in the wizarding world?” Yeosang shrugged. “What if it’s something Muggle related? After all, Jongho’s parents are Muggles.”

“You mean like Muggle magic?” Wooyoung asked. “Does something like that even exist?”

“There are card tricks and optical illusions, which fall under the category of magic, but…” Yeosang trailed off, glancing at Seonghwa with a questioning look.

“I was talking more along the lines of occultism and satanism…”

“Oh.” Yeosang’s eyes widened. “Do you think those can be tied? Occultism and actual magic?”

“Why not?”

“It’s worth a try,” Yeosang said, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

Wooyoung looked at them, lost. “What are occultism and satanism?”

“Occultism is just… I don’t know, I’m not sure, but it’s the Muggle equivalent of Dark Magic,” Seonghwa explained. “Well, it doesn’t _have_ to be dark, but usually associated. And satanism is the worship of Satan, connected to the burning of witches and just overall bad omen stuff. Again, it doesn’t necessarily have to be evil.”

Wooyoung made an _ah_ noise, nodding his head. “You Muggle born have a lot of gray areas, don’t you?”

Seonghwa shrugged, never having given it much thought. “I guess.”

“Let’s do some research on it this Sunday,” Yeosang said.

**~*~**

That Saturday night they sneaked out of the castle an hour after dinner, under a starry sky that arched overhead, the moon in its darkest phase.

Seonghwa felt chills run through his body as he thought about what they were going to do. It was by far the most problematic thing they had dared to do, aside from sneaking out to Hogsmeade on several occasions. If they were caught using the Quidditch pitch this late, Seonghwa feared he could lose his Prefect badge and Captain status, but there was something so thrilling about it.

He felt his heart awakened, so incredibly alive. He grinned at his friends, they returned the same sentiment, only their pearly white teeth to be seen in the night’s darkness. Jongho walked ahead, wand in hand, using a more dimmed version of the _Lumos_ spell. 

When they got to the Quidditch field ten minutes later, they found the Hufflepuffs and Yunho already there, dressed partially in Quidditch uniforms. Yunho was wearing an older one. Seonghwa and his friends had dressed themselves before leaving. They nodded at one another.

“To make things easier,” Yunho started, pointing at the obvious darkness around them, his face glowing white in the light of his wand, “I have found a spell that will make us see in the darkness for about an hour.”

Once all preparations were absolved, Jongho, Yeosang, Mingi, and Yunho flew up into the air, awaiting their captains. Hongjoong and Seonghwa stood in front of one another, shaking their hands. Hongjoong was purposefully tightening his grip, wearing an arrogant smirk. Seonghwa only raised his eyebrows.

“All right, well, don’t play dirty,” Wooyoung told them. He held out the Quaffle, shooting them both a look before he made it fly into the air with a spell, signalizing the start of the game.

As they were only six players in total, they had settled the roles as Keeper, Beater, and Chaser, playing without the Golden Snitch.

Seonghwa was quick, pushing himself off the ground with force so he’d reach the hoops in time to guard them, but Hongjoong was quicker. Possessing the agility all Seekers did. He grabbed the Quaffle before anyone could reach it and threw it towards Yunho in a beautiful arch, who caught it effortlessly and crossed the pitch, dodging Jongho’s Bludger. With a strong arm he aimed it at the Ravenclaw hoops, marking the first goal. Seonghwa nearly had stopped the Quaffle, his fingertips gracing the leathery material.

Mingi let out a loud whoop, pumping his fist in the air victoriously, and high fived Yunho.

Yeosang flew over the center of the field, his face a blank mask. He advanced quickly to get possession of the Quaffle. He brushed past Mingi, shouldering him harshly, and ducked Yunho’s attempt to wrangle the Quaffle out of his grasp.

Seonghwa watched as Yeosang flew steadily towards the opposite hoops, the Quaffle held high over his head. Hongjoong was watching him with tense shoulders. Seonghwa’s eyes moved towards Mingi’s figure, who was swinging his bat as he flew towards the Bludger closest to Yeosang and Hongjoong.

“Watch out!” Seonghwa screamed worriedly, but it was too late.

Mingi hit the Bludger square, it made contact with the arm Yeosang had stretched out over his head. Yeosang still tried to throw the Quaffle, but it went astray, hitting one of the hoop’s posts instead of flying through.

Seonghwa cursed, glowering at Mingi, who seemed extremely satisfied. Yeosang was rubbing his wrist, standing still in the air. Seonghwa hoped he wasn’t seriously injured.

This time, when Yunho aimed the Quaffle at the Ravenclaw’s hoops, Seonghwa stopped it, dipping low and doing a pirouette in the air—just to brag in front of Hongjoong. He threw the ball at Yeosang, who caught it clumsily.

 _His wrist must really hurt,_ Seonghwa thought gloomily.

Twenty minutes later the game stood, 30-40 in favor of Hufflepuff. It was clear that Yunho was a much better Chaser than Yeosang, and Mingi did not shy away from hitting the Bludgers with force, whereas Jongho hesitated every time he swung his bat.

Seonghwa waved his hand in the air, beckoning his Slytherin friend over.

“Ugh, I’m sorry,” Jongho was already apologizing, scratching his neck. “I didn’t think they—Song and Kim—would take it so seriously.”

“If you don’t want to send the Bludger in Yunho’s direction, just aim at Hongjoong every time Yeosang is close to the goal.” Jongho nodded his head. “Or aim at Mingi; that fucker is taking way too much pleasure out of bothering Yeosang.”

Jongho nodded. “Yes. I wonder why he’s so obsessed all of a sudden.” Jongho eyed the game at the other side of the pitch, where Yunho and Yeosang were battling for the possession of the Quaffle. “I mean he’s always been oddly fixated on Yeosang. It just feels differently this year, doesn’t it?”

Seonghwa shrugged. He thought of the soft look on Mingi’s face, contradicting the harshness with which he was treating Yeosang on the field. Maybe Seonghwa had misinterpreted that look, or Mingi himself didn’t know that there was an opposing side to his resentment towards Yeosang.

“Less chit-chat up there!” Wooyoung called, using a spell to amplify his voice. “I made a bet with San. Don’t make me lose my 30 Galleons!”

“San bet _against_ us?” Seonghwa asked offended.

“Someone had to,” Wooyoung told him with an unbothered shrug.

“Does San even possess any money?” Jongho wondered quietly. “I mean, he’s a ghost after all.”

“Who knows,” Seonghwa answered, squaring his shoulders as he saw Yunho approach. “Send a Bludger at Mingi, I’ll make sure to catch Yunho’s Quaffle and pass it on to Yeosang immediately,” he hissed in excitement and nerves. Jongho nodded and flew off, seeking out a Bludger so he could stop Mingi once Yeosang had the Quaffle.

Their new game strategy began to work, focusing less on Yunho and more on Mingi and Hongjoong, and not even fifteen minutes later the Ravenclaws were winning by thirty points.

Wooyoung was whooping loudly, clapping his hands excitedly.

“He should try to be more impartial!” Seonghwa heard Mingi protest, his arms crossed. He was glowering at Jongho, all caught up onto the fact that they were purposefully meddling with his game.

“Shut up!” Jongho quipped as he flew past him, grinning maniacally at him.

Mingi rolled his eyes. “Who invited this baby?”

“A baby who’s beating your ass!” Jongho only answered.

Seonghwa watched in delight how Hongjoong and Mingi were growing frustrated with the outcome of the game, clearly having underrated Seonghwa’s team. Even Yunho looked a bit sour at the quick loss they were experiencing. There was a frown between his brows and his throws were gaining in strength and losing in precision.

“Guys!” Wooyoung called out. “There’s only ten minutes left before the spell wears out!”

“ _Fuck_!” Mingi called, hitting a Bludger randomly and sending it accidentally in Hongjoong’s direction, who dodged it but did waver on his broom, nearly falling off. Seonghwa’s breath hitched, leaning forward as he watched the scene apprehensively. “Shit! I’m sorry, Hongjoong!” Mingi cried, checking up on his friend.

With everyone distracted, Yunho managed to score another goal, but it didn’t do much as time had run out and it’d be too risky staying out on the field for another hour, even if they really wanted to. If a professor or Hogwarts staff caught them, they’d be in it deep.

Once they were all reunited down on the ground, sour expressions crossing half of the group, Wooyoung rubbed his hands together.

“I believe who the superior Quidditch Captain is has become obvious after this lovely match,” the Gryffindor said, grinning as Hongjoong mumbled something under his breath.

The Hufflepuff Prefect was staring at his shoes, his face flushed due to the exertion, his hair sticky with sweat, and his ears red in embarrassment. He had a tight grip on his broom, as if he tried to prevent himself from lashing out. Mingi looked equally as dejected, except he didn’t hold his head low. Yunho had an awkward smile, fidgeting and nervously glancing at the group.

Seonghwa crossed his arms in front of his chest, his broom was suspended in the air next to him. He smirked, his eyebrows disappearing under his raven hair. “Ah, Kim, could you repeat that? I didn’t you quite hear you.”

Hongjoong’s head snapped up. He was frowning angrily and his lips were pulled into a scowl. “I said,” he repeated, seethingly, “that you are the better Quidditch player.” His eyes were alight with fire and Seonghwa thought…

He thought that Hongjoong looked hot, much to his demise.

Seonghwa swallowed, aware of everyone’s eyes on him, waiting for his comeback. He refrained from looking away from Hongjoong, hoping that his sudden blush wasn’t visible. “And what else?” he demanded.

The Hufflepuff squinted his eyes. “And a better Quidditch Captain.”

Seonghwa hummed, smiling. “See, wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Hongjoong moved, his arms reaching out for him, but Yunho was quick in stopping him. “That’s enough,” he said decidedly. “I know you love to do this,” he gestured in between the two Prefects, “angry flirting that you call bickering, but I think it’s better if we invest our time in sneaking back into the castle before _anyone_ notices our absence.”

Seonghwa was taken aback by Yunho’s outburst and he flinched at the comment the Gryffindor had made, his stomach twisting and his heart beating fast.

“Angry flirting?” Wooyoung repeated, snorting. “What?” He looked at Seonghwa peculiarly.

Hongjoong’s face grew redder than before and he freed himself from Yunho’s grasp, turning around brusquely, and walked into the darkness, his shoulders tensed up and his hands balled into fists.

Mingi regarded Yunho with a displeased look. “Now you’ve pissed him off.”

Yunho rolled his eyes. “He literally doesn’t possess the ability to be angry at me,” Yunho told him. “Plus, _someone_ had to say _something_.” 

“But not in front of them, you dick!” Despite the harshness of his own words, a giggle escaped Mingi. He turned around to follow Hongjoong without saying goodbye.

Yunho glanced at the winning team. “They’re not as bad as you might think they are,” he said quietly before he jogged after Mingi.

“Anyone else feel like they’re missing a huge piece of information?” Jongho asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Yeosang hummed, playing with the golden bird around his neck. His eyes were fixed on Mingi’s back, a delicate frown between his eyebrows. “You’re not the only one.”

“Turn those frowns upside down!” Wooyoung cheered them up. “You’ve won!” Jongho glanced at the Gryffindor, his face carefully blank, then he did a quick handstand, startling his friends. “What in Merlin’s name are you doing?!”

“Turning the frown upside down,” Jongho said cheerfully, a bit out of breath.

Yeosang and Seonghwa started laughing as Wooyoung just stared perplexed. Jongho grinned at him, poking his cheek. Wooyoung slowly recovered from his surprise and let out an annoyed laugh, jabbing Jongho’s sides.

“You’re so stupid!”

With laughter spilling out of their mouths they wandered back into Hogwarts, unaware of the darkness that covered them like a blanket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jongho: 🤪🤙


	10. Dashin' Through The Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks a turning point in the plot heh I don't really like it all that much djksds but I am trying to be less of a critic towards my writing and just.. enjoy it. Hope you like it! ^^

Tiredly, Seonghwa watched the _Transfiguration_ classroom filled up, Professor Zhang already inside and writing up something on the green board, his back straightened. His hair was messed up, though, and there were wrinkles in his cloak. He never managed to look as cleaned up as the other professors.

Yeosang was scrawled over his desk with his eyes closed, but Seonghwa knew he was awake as he was playing with his pen. Seonghwa yawned and looked at the big windows, they were frozen. Ice growing on them like dancing flames.

“I know that you’re gay, but you’ve got to agree that Mingi has some sweet arms,” Hwanwoong was saying dreamily.

“My girlfriend has nicer arms, sorry,” Chuu told him with a snort. “Besides, he’s intimidating.”

“That only adds to his charm, in my humble opinion,” Hwanwoong insisted.

Wooyoung crashed down onto the seat in front of them, wrinkling his nose at Hwanwoong’s comment. “ _Yikes_ ,” he muttered. Then he looked at Yeosang. “What happened to him?”

“We stayed up late,” Seonghwa explained. They had spent their night playing wizarding games with Yeonjun and Changbin in the dorms, going to bed way past their bedtime hour.

“I slept like a baby!” Wooyoung said cheerfully.

“Ugh,” Yeosang moaned. “Do not speak to me about sleep, I’ll break your neck.”

“Oh, feisty!”

They quietened down when Yunho sat next to Wooyoung. Usually, he sat by the front with Hwanwoong, but it seemed as if he had bribed Yeonjun to switch their seats. 

“Good morning,” Yunho greeted them, unpacking his bag. 

Wooyoung stared at him, confused, then exchanged a look with Seonghwa. “Is there something you need?” he asked the tall Gryffindor.

Yunho shrugged. “Maybe. For now, I’ll just observe you. Hongjoong told me to, he’s wary of you. He thinks you’re going to pull some big prank for Christmas.”

“Ah,” Seonghwa let out. “Of course he does.”

Yunho eyed him curiously. “Well, will you?”

Wooyoung scoffed. “As if we would tell you.”

“Can’t say I didn’t try.” Yunho shrugged, unbothered by the lack of a useful response.

Professor Zhang turned around, successfully silencing the chatter in the classroom.

The class went by dreadfully slow and Seonghwa caught himself a few times slipping off, his head wandering around, more often than not ending up in a dangerous place. The Hongjoong Zone, as he had started to name that particular part of his brain. He kept thinking of the way the Hufflepuff Prefect had looked on Saturday, with his skin flushed and covered in a thin layer of sweat. Seonghwa knew that it shouldn’t have rattled him as much as it had. He would normally find it gross, but somehow his heart stuttered in his chest when he thought about Hongjoong in that state.

Seonghwa was slowly but surely spiralling, any grasp he might have thought to possess on his mind and thoughts was completely gone when it came to Hongjoong. He had tried throughout the entirety of November to control his thoughts and not let them stray towards the idea that Hongjoong was more than just his rival, but seeing that he was now actively thinking of the Hufflepuff as _hot_ , and he was scared to pull any pranks in case he might get Hongjoong riled up and ending up with more inappropriate thoughts—

It was a train wreck.

Seonghwa was a mess, and all because of Hongjoong. It wasn’t fair. The Hufflepuff Prefect didn’t seem as affected as Seonghwa. Hell, for all Seonghwa knew he was the only one with shifting feelings and thoughts, and Hongjoong hated him just as much as he always had.

After _Transfiguration_ was over, Seonghwa and Yeosang bid their goodbyes to Wooyoung, who had _Charms_ with the Hufflepuffs, whereas the Ravenclaws had _Herbology_ with the Slytherins.

Yeosang looked positively more awake now than he had before, but there was a bit of dried drool on the corner of his mouth, which Seonghwa pointed out to him.

“Agh, shit,” Yeosang squeaked, embarrassed, rubbing it away.

Yunho was standing in the corridor, watching them with attentive eyes. He had a peculiar look on his face, his lips, which usually were pulled into a constant soft smile, were dragged downwards by the corners. He was frowning at them.

Seonghwa sighed. “What is it?” he snapped. Yunho’s frown deepened, probably not used to having Seonghwa address him like that since that tone was usually reserved for Mingi and Hongjoong.

“I always thought it was just them being jealous, but…” Yunho trailed, tilting his head. The way he stared at them was unnerving, as if he was trying to figure something out. “Are you two actually… you know, dating?”

Seonghwa was taken aback by the question. What was up with everyone thinking he was dating one of his best friends? He was about to reply, when Yeosang scoffed. His ears were red.

“Merlin’s Beard,” he muttered. “In between you and Song—You will really not give me any peace of mind, will you? What’s it to you anyway, if I were to date Seonghwa?”

“To me personally, nothing,” Yunho replied mysteriously.

Yeosang squinted his eyes. “Elaborate.”

Yunho shook his head. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s just that—” he cut himself off abruptly.

Seonghwa passed a hand through his hair. Something about this made him feel nervous. “Yunho, what is it?” he asked.

“Nothing. It really is nothing,” the tall Gryffindor promised them. “I should probably leave. Professor Chae doesn’t like tardiness.”

“She doesn’t,” Yeosang agreed but grabbed Yunho’s wrist to hold him back. He raised his chin decidedly. “Tell Song and Kim to stop butting into business that doesn’t concern them.”

Yunho opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he shook his head, deciding against it. “I’ll tell them,” he promised. “Just be more mindful, you know?” 

He walked away, his tall figure disappearing down the corridor. Seonghwa felt uneasy, his skin prickling. The conversation had been strange to say the least. It was as if was trying to piece together a puzzle of which he missed most pieces.

“Yeosang what was that about? What did you mean before? About Song and Yunho not—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yeosang cut him off, his shoulders hunched. “Song kept asking me if we were dating. Have they never heard of friends just being comfortable with each other before?” he hissed, obviously bothered. His ears were still red.

Seonghwa regarded him with a curious look. There was definitely more to it, but he didn’t want to push Yeosang.

“Come on, we shouldn’t be late. I don’t want Professor Son to be mad at us,” Yeosang said then, softly grabbing the sleeve of Seonghwa’s robes to drag him with him.

**~*~**

Some secrets, Seonghwa knew, were meant to be taken to the grave.

Were it because they were truly terrible and would cause a lot of pain in the long run; others because of the shame and guilt one would have to face, if they ever chose to formulate them; and then there were secrets that one simply chose to keep for their own dignity.

Seonghwa had never thought much about his own secrets. 

He never had possessed that many secrets to begin with, and he had always ended up spilling them out to someone at some point; the last few years, more often than not, his friends at Hogwarts had been the eager ears he had admitted those secrets to. 

Right now, he did wander around with something hidden and he hated it because it ate away at him; but how could he possibly admit to his friends that he had developed a soft spot for Kim Hongjoong? They were supposed to be enemies!

Wooyoung would most certainly disagree and try to talk him out of it; Jongho would shoot him an odd look and not say much about the matter, since Seonghwa had never really spoken about his crushes to his Slytherin friend anyway. San would cock a smile and tease him endlessly about it, about how mysterious life worked. Then there was Yeosang. Seonghwa wasn’t sure how his housemate would react if he were to tell him that he had a crush on Hongjoong. It was strange. Yeosang had been his first friend at Hogwarts, and Seonghwa firmly believed that they had a strong bond, without any secrets between them, but he felt insecure about that now. 

He was doubting his friendships, and he hated that—hated himself for it.

They had just gotten out of _Potions_ , in about fifteen minutes they had _Ghoul_ _Studies_ with Wooyoung, but Seonghwa stood alone in the Dungeon’s corridor and watched Yeosang and Mingi walk away together. Yeosang was holding the sleeve of Mingi’s robes tightly, a bothered look across his face, while the tall Hufflepuff looked rather exasperated.

It irked Seonghwa that he had arrived at Hogwarts that year, looking forward to enjoy it with his friends, but so far he had stumbled upon more obstacles than he could count. And everyone had their secrets that year, holding them closer than ever.

Seonghwa swallowed, already regretting his choice of quietly following the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. He watched them enter an empty classroom nearby. Seonghwa tried to think this over, questioning himself and if it was worth it breaking his friend’s trust like that. To break that bond they had built over the years; did he not trust Yeosang?

He bit the inside of his cheek, bile rising in his stomach. The decision was taken out of his hands when he heard raised voices, his name being mentioned. Seonghwa inched closer to the classroom, sticking to the wall and trying not to be seen.

“What is it then, that you want from me, little Ice King?” Seonghwa heard Mingi ask. His voice wasn’t loaded with mock or hate like it usually was when he used that nickname. There came something uncharacteristically soft with it. “If this isn’t about me teasing you regarding Park, what is it then?” 

Seonghwa frowned at the mention of his family name, nearly stumbling forward as his curiosity was taking the lead.

“First, I want you to drop that ridiculous nickname! Seriously, I do not like it, Mingi,” said Yeosang.

“I-I’ll think about it,” Mingi stuttered out. Taken aback because it wasn’t a common occurrence for Yeosang to use his name. 

“Then I want to know what it is that Hongjoong is planning regarding Seonghwa,” Yeosang demanded.

There was the distinctive noise of someone shifting their position, the sole of a sneaker moving against the floor, producing a squeaky sound.

“What do you mean?” Mingi asked.

“Don’t play stupid, Mingi.”

“Yeosang,” Mingi said, again in that soft voice. Seonghwa covered his mouth with his hand to prevent himself from gasping. He had never really heard Mingi say Yeosang’s name, even less like that. “Don’t you think it’s best to give it up?”

“Don’t… Don’t speak to me as if you know what’s up,” Yeosang told him, his tone hard.

Seonghwa could feel his breath hitch. His heart was beating wildly was in his chest like a drum. He had never heard his friend speak like this before, as if he was utterly heartbroken and hurt.

“Yeosang,” Mingi repeated, there were some more shuffling noises. Seonghwa was taken aback by the fondness, simmering just below the surface, in Mingi’s tone.

“ _Don’t_ ,” Yeosang warned him. A sigh. “Seonghwa hasn’t been behaving like himself,” Yeosang continued when Mingi didn’t say anything. “Did Hongjoong do something to him?”

Mingi huffed out in an annoyed manner, back to his usual self. “Wouldn’t you like to know, little Ice King?”

Yeosang groaned, frustrated. “I do, that’s why we are here.” There was a clattering noise and a gasp. When Seonghwa peeked around the corner he spotted Yeosang with his wand drawn out and pointing it at Mingi’s throat. “Spill.”

Mingi eyed him warily. “Hongjoong didn’t do anything. If anything, he’s behaving as strange as Park. You should probably ask them. Interview your _beloved_ friend,” he said the last bit with a bitter tone.

Yeosang stayed quiet, looking up at Mingi. Seonghwa could see from where he stood that Mingi’s cheeks were dusted the faintest pink, crumbling under Yeosang’s intense stare.

Yeosang leaned back, putting his wand away again. “Whatever,” he muttered. “I’ve got class.” He started to turn around to leave the classroom, but he stopped. “I’ve got my eyes on you, Song Ming,” he said.

“We both know you don’t!” Mingi called after him.

Yeosang’s shoulders flinched visibly at that, but he kept going.

Seonghwa hid himself behind one of the knights standing in the hallway and waited for Yeosang to walk away towards their _Ghoul Studies_ class. He stayed there for a moment, recollecting himself, then he walked into the classroom.

Mingi looked up surprised. “Park,” he said. There was something guarded in his eyes, almost protective.

“Song.” He nodded his head, not walking any closer. “Is it true what you said? That Hongjoong is behaving strangely?”

Mingi rolled his eyes, clearly bothered. “Listen, Park, I don’t know what games you’re playing, but leave Hongjoong the _fuck_ out of them. You don’t know what you’re messing with.” Mingi walked towards him, brushing past him. “You should be more considerate with the matters of the heart.”

“Hey, wait!” Seonghwa called out, turning around. “What’s that supposed to mean?” But Mingi ignored him, walking down the corridor already. Seonghwa let out a sigh. “ _Shit_.”

**~*~**

There was an obvious chasm between Seonghwa and Yeosang after the debacle in the classroom.

Seonghwa was hurt by the way Yeosang had started to withdraw from him. At first he had believed something had triggered his friend’s anxiety, but he acted like his usual self with Wooyoung, Jongho, and San—and San wasn’t even around that much these days.

When the holidays approached, it was clear that everyone in their group of friends had caught up on the strange, new dynamics, but they never questioned it or made anyone feel uncomfortable about it. Until Seonghwa sneaked out of the Ravenclaw Tower one night to seek out Wooyoung.

They were sitting down in the Gryffindor Common Room, watching the cackling fire. Now that half the student body was on leave for the Christmas holidays, it was pleasantly quiet and peaceful in the usual boisterous and hectic Gryffindor Tower.

“Wooyoung, can I ask you something?” Seonghwa wondered, putting down his cup of hot chocolate to look at his friend. Woyoung nodded. “Do you know why Yeosang is behaving the way he is?”

Wooyoung bit his bottom lip. _So he knows_ , Seonghwa thought bitterly.

“I can’t tell you, I’m sorry. But it’s not forever, I promise. He’ll get over it, eventually. Don’t worry about it,” Wooyoung promised him.

“How can I not worry when I feel as if it’s ruining our friendship?” Seonghwa tried really hard not to get the sadness and hurt get to him, but he could already feel something clawing up his chest and make his eyes sting with unshed tears.

“Hwa,” Wooyoung mumbled softly. “He’s just—Song said some shit to him that made him become overly conscious about the problem.”

Seonghwa scoffed. “Of course it’s _fucking_ Song!” He kicked the floor lightly, nearly knocking over the table on which their hot drinks were. “Can’t he just leave Yeosang alone?!”

Wooyoung smiled peculiarly. “I’ll let you in on a little secret,” he whispered. Seonghwa shot him a curious look, wiping away the tears that had nearly fallen. “Before I do, though, you have to know that I don’t like Song either, but I think he might be helping Yeosang.”

Seonghwa frowned, not liking this statement. “What do you mean?”

Wooyoung gulped. “I can’t tell you everything because I’d be revealing Yeosang’s secret, but you just have to trust me on this. Song being all up in Yeosang’s business it made him stop talking about his, uh, problem these past months, instead complaining about Song.”

“How is that a good thing?” Seonghwa questioned. “That sounds like the opposite of good.”

“Just trust me. This is good. I think—In the long run, anyway.” Even if his tone was mildly doubtful he seemed convinced of his words.

Seonghwa let out a sigh.

They all had their secrets, only that this time they felt like so much more because Seonghwa wasn’t in the known of most of them, and he had to learn to accept that fact. That he couldn’t always satisfy his curiosity, that even his own friends had secrets they harbored from him. He didn’t like this, but he needed to trust his friends a bit more—allow them their secrets.

“Okay,” he said quietly.

“Speaking of, uh, Song and Yeosang,” Wooyoung continued, a lot more awkward now than before. Seonghwa squinted his eyes at the way he put those two names together with something more to it—implying there was _more_ to it. “I have been meaning to ask you, Hwa…”

“Yes, what is it?”

 _Please don’t ask about Hongjoong_ , he pleaded on repeat.

Wooyoung looked at him, pushing his reading glasses up his nose. “Have you spoken to Jongho? About what San said?”

“O-Oh.” Seonghwa exhaled in relief, not even realizing he had been holding his breath. “No—Wait! Jongho did say yesterday that he wanted to speak with us over the holidays. It didn’t seem urgent though. But maybe he was just trying not to worry me.”

Wooyoung hummed. “Knowing him, probably.” He clenched his jaw. “I don’t understand why he is so guarded around us. Does he not trust us?”

“He does,” Seonghwa insisted, then shrugged. “I just think he’s afraid of what we might think of him.”

“If what San said is true…”

Seonghwa tilted his head. “Do you not believe him?”

“I do.” Wooyoung sighed. “It’s just… Has San ever mentioned to you anything about himself? I tried really hard to brush it off, and told myself San would tell me at some point, but we’re in our fifth year. We’re leaving in two years. I know that there’s still time, but I can’t help but wonder if he ever will tell me or if, as soon as I leave, he’ll just move on. I just don’t—” He broke off, a sob escaping him. Seonghwa moved forward, putting his hand on Wooyoung’s shoulder to draw him close for a hug. “It’s so silly. I’m so stupid to have fallen in love with him. Sometimes I wonder if I chose him because I am terrified of commitment and he’s unavailable anyway.”

Seonghwa shook his head softly. “Wooyoung, no. Your heart can’t choose whom it falls for, it just happens. Believe me, I know,” he said, stopping himself from revealing too much. “You said you’d become a professor at Hogwarts, you’ll see him again and—”

“But I’ll grow old and will die, he doesn’t! It’s messed up! Fuck, if you think about our age gap really… Even if he’s sixteen, he’s actually a lot older. I feel fucked up for that, too… I-I hate myself for—” He was sobbing loudly now, his words becoming chopped off and incomprehensible.

“Oh, Wooyoung,” Seonghwa mumbled sympathetically, hugging his friend tighter and letting him cry onto his shoulder. “Don’t scold yourself like this. You’ll find a love that will work out one day. Love always wins and finds a way.”

Wooyoung didn’t answer, just sobbed louder, his small figure trembling in Seonghwa’s arms. His heart ached for his friend and he felt incredibly guilty for not having paid more attention to the struggles Wooyoung was going through with his feelings regarding San.

They sat on the couch, hugging one another, until they were both tired and worn out with the aching of their hearts and fell asleep.

**~*~**

Despite his inexperience in the subject of love— _romantic_ love—Seonghwa came to the agreement that there was no use for him to keep denying his own feelings. It didn’t do him any good. It only pushed him into acting stupidly and recklessly, often growing anxious in the middle of the night when he thought about his growing fondness towards Hongjoong and how best he could stop it.

There was no stopping it. Like he had told Wooyoung, the heart did not choose whom it fell for, it just fell and felt. There was no point in pretending that he didn’t like Hongjoong. He had to slowly accept this and deal with the consequences.

It didn’t mean that he didn’t find the Hufflepuff Prefect irritating and annoying most of the time, and wanted to hex him, it was just that now he could categorize this frustration as a strange method of flirting. Something playful and teasing, rejoicing when Hongjoong shot him a bothered look, all of his attention put on Seonghwa and no one else.

Hyuna had been right with her words, as difficult as it was admitting that.

All he wanted was Hongjoong’s attention. He wondered faintly when _exactly_ it had started, this shift from genuinely disliking Hongjoong to craving his attention and more.

Seonghwa wasn’t sure, yet, how he’d tell his friends about these news. Even if everyone had their secrets, Seonghwa didn’t like those. He wanted to be transparent to his friends— _known_ —but he found it extremely difficult to open up about this information. He figured the easiest to tell was Jongho, since he didn’t care that much about who was crushing on who anyway.

It was the 24th of December, a snowy afternoon. Yeosang had gone to St Mungo’s with Professor Im for the last therapy session of the year, and Wooyoung was hanging out with San somewhere in the castle.

Jongho and Seonghwa found themselves, like many other of the students that had stayed in the castle for the holidays, out on the Hogwarts grounds. They were building snowmen, or attempting to. Seonghwa was nervous about the topic he wanted to bring up, too unconcentrated to make a perfect snowman. Jongho wasn’t even trying, he was creating a monster.

“Jongho,” Seonghwa said quietly.

“Yes?” The Slytherin turned his head towards him, a questioning glance crossing his face.

“What, uhm, what do you think of Kim?”

Jongho stared at him, the snowball he had been forming for the past minutes slipped out of his hands and fell onto the snow, breaking in half. “What,” he deadpanned, a bewildered look on his face.

“Kim Hongjoong,” Seonghwa repeated in a whisper, staring around in apprehension. He was scared that the Hufflepuff would pop out of nowhere any second and laugh at him. “What do you think of him?”

“Uh…” Jongho cleared his throat. “Well, he is a bit annoying, not gonna lie. His pranks aren’t as great as he believes. I don’t know what else to tell you. Aside from our rivalry with him, I don’t actually know him that well.”

Seonghwa sighed, running a gloved hand through his hair, making it stick up in all directions.

“Why are you asking _me_ about _him_?” Jongho wondered, returning to his terrible snowman.

“Um, so you see,” Seonghwa started stuttering, “I-I came to the realization that, well… There’s a slight chance that I possibly—but not _that_ seriously—might like him? Kind of? I’m still in the process of really figuring it out…”

Jongho made a brusque movement, breaking off the snowman’s head, which rolled away dramatically, its grimace staring up at the Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

“Y-You what?” Jongho asked, turning around in astonishment.

“You heard me. I’m not going to repeat it,” Seonghwa grumbled, growing less sure about his decision of telling Jongho. “You know what, forget it!”

“No,” Jongho insisted. “Sorry. That was just surprising. I didn’t think that you’d actually—Anyway, when did this happen?”

Seonghwa shrugged. “I don’t know.” He stared at the white grounds, the snow having covered every surface possible, muffling the sounds of the other students lingering around. The trees looked so sad without their leaves, their naked branches growing tall into the gray sky. “I realized around November, and didn’t want it to be true. I hoped it would vanish, but…”

“That clearly didn’t happen,” Jongho finished for him. He scratched his chin pensively. “I think I actually first noticed something between the two of you during Halloween. I didn’t think there was much to it. That you were just drunk and didn’t think straight…”

“Yeah, well, turns out I _really_ don’t think straight and have fallen for my _fucking_ enemy.”

Jongho’s eyes widened. “Fallen?” he questioned.

Seonghwa flushed. “N-No!” he cried, shaking his head vehemently. “No, fuck, but I don’t know. These feelings only seem to grow and it’s gotten to the point where I start to wonder what it would be like to—” he cut himself off, his cheeks growing even warmer.

“What it would be like to do what?” Jongho asked innocently.

“Kiss him,” Seonghwa whispered, terrified to admit that.

“Oh. Ew!” Jongho pushed him lightly. “Ew! I don’t want to think about that!”

“Then don’t!” Seonghwa yelled back, embarrassed. “This was a mistake,” he bemoaned.

Once Jongho calmed down, having stopped jumping around in the snow and flailing his arms dramatically, he gave Seonghwa a curious look. 

“Am I the first one you told?” Jongho asked and Seonghwa nodded. “Oh, what an honor.”

“I don’t know what the others would say. Especially Yeosang.”

“I think Wooyoung would slap you for being so dumb and then support you,” Jongho said thoughtfully. “Yeosang… Ah, I don’t know.” He shrugged uncomfortably.

“He’s been behaving weirdly towards me these days,” Seonghwa brought up then, sadly.

“He’ll get over it,” Jongho promised him.

“Over what?” he asked. “Do you know what’s up with him? Am I the only one who doesn’t?”

Jongho nodded, uncomfortable. “You shouldn’t worry about it. He’ll be back to normal in no time.”

Seonghwa sighed, trying not to feel too hurt that Yeosang hadn’t trusted him with whatever it was that he was dealing with. “I hope so. I miss him.”

Jongho’s worried and tense expression slowly dissipated until a teasing grin spread over his face. “So, tell me. Do you dream about Hongjoong?”

Seonghwa shoved him. “Shut up!” he cried. He picked up snow and threw it at his Slytherin friend, his cheeks blushing again.

Jongho laughed, running away to shelter himself from the impromptu snowball battle that Seonghwa had started.

**~*~**

It was a tradition to sneak off into the Hogwarts Kitchens the night before Christmas, the four of them plus San, if he was available—often he got invited to ghost parties around this time of the year. Moddey loved Wooyoung and Seonghwa, and he loved to hear their stories while he prepared them hot chocolate and showered them with cookies. 

Jongho had added his own little traditions of playing Wizarding Chess with the house elf and got him to sing Christmas carols with them. It was always a fun and comfortable night, warmth spreading through their hearts when they lay themselves to bed afterwards.

That year it was different though. There was an unspoken tension between Yeosang and Seonghwa as they descended the stairs with Wooyoung to the Basement, where Jongho was already waiting on them. Wooyoung didn’t even try to cheer his friends up, he knew that sooner or later they would talk, have a heart to heart, and fix the matter. They always did whenever Yeosang got into that mood of his. 

Seonghwa tried not to read too much into it, his friends had promised him that Yeosang would soon turn back into his usual self, so all he could do was wait patiently.

They were rounding the corner towards the corridor that lead to the Dungeons and Basement, when their phones vibrated loudly in the eerie silence of the castle. It was the dead of the night, no one was to be awake, but when the trio looked at their phones they spotted a text from Jongho. It read _don’t come yet the hufflepuffs are on the move._ With a curious look exchanged, they entered a bathroom nearby, not closing the door completely.

“What do you think they’re doing up so late?” Wooyoung asked in a whisper.

“Maybe they planned a prank on us and are about to deliver,” Seonghwa answered with a shrug. It was a possibility.

“Well they’re gonna look really stupid once they realize we’re not in our dorms.” Wooyoung giggled. Yeosang quickly clasped a hand over his mouth to muffle the noise as the sound of approaching footsteps came closer.

“—damn it, Mingi!” Hongjoong hissed, his hand was on Mingi’s neck, holding him steadily, while with the other he was holding his wand in front of them. “You can’t afford to be so reckless.”

“I know,” Mingi grumbled, his voice lower and hoarser than usual.

Yunho was with them, his eyes wide with fear. “If we get busted now…” He trailed off, his words hanging tensely in the air.

“We won’t,” Hongjoong assured him, but there was a slight tremble to his voice. “We’ve been sneaking out for years, there’s no way we’re going to get caught now.”

“Next time just tell me,” Yunho said, addressing Mingi. “You know I have no problem brewing more for you.”

“I didn’t want to bother you,” Mingi said guiltily. “You were so stressed about your essays and—I thought it would be enough.”

They were already by the Entrance Hall, their voices becoming quieter. Seonghwa had to strain his ears to understand them.

Yunho sighed. “By Merlin, let’s hope it’s enough to get you out of the castle safely.”

“And back inside once it’s over,” Hongjoong added gloomily.

Once they were ascending the big staircase, their conversation was no longer accessible for Seonghwa and his friends, just a low and indecipherable murmur. The silence that followed was full of confusion and furrowed brows, and searching eyes. Until the sound of hesitant footsteps came.

“Guys?” Jongho called out nervously.

Wooyoung pushed the door open, beckoning their Slytherin friend over. “Where’s San?” he asked first thing. 

Jongho shook his head. “He said he’d join later.”

“Well, I don’t think we’re going to the Kitchens anymore,” Yeosang said, eyeing his friends. “Or are we?”

“Merlin, no!” Wooyoung shook his head. “What the _fuck_ was that about? This is our chance to discover what they’re up to. Catch them right in the act!”

“I agree,” Seonghwa said and quietly filled in Jongho on the conversation they had just witnessed. 

“What are we waiting for? Let’s follow them,” Jongho said, marching to the Entrance Hall.

“Wait!” Yeosang called out in a loud whisper. “There’s a quicker way to get on the castle’s grounds.” He jerked his chin to the direction of the door that lead to the professors’s offices. “Professor Im and I always take that route. From there, we just head to the Owlery and then down to the Quidditch field. Then we will have to search for them, but it won’t be hard since it’s a full moon.”

“Yeosang if we get caught sneaking through there—” Seonghwa started, preoccupied.

“Don’t worry,” Yeosang promised him, finally, after days of avoiding him, looking him into his eyes. He smiled mischievously. “It’s the night before Christmas, I doubt any professors are there right now.”

Just like that the tension between them broke and it was back to normal. Inwardly, Seonghwa let out a relieved sigh.

“Okay, well… I trust you.” Seonghwa spread out his hands to let Yeosang lead the way.

Quietly, like mice, they tiptoed across the Entrance Hall to the door, where Yeosang unlocked it with the _Alohomora_ spell. It didn’t take long for them to go through the corridor and exit the castle. The night wasn’t dark at all, like Yeosang had said, the full moon was shining brightly, nearly blindingly so. That year the moon was a lot closer to Earth, making it look bigger and brighter.

Seonghwa stopped, staring up at it, it was breathtaking. The snow at their feet glistened in the moonlight, like it was a carpet made of small diamonds. 

“Come on,” Wooyoung urged them.

They were halfway at the Quidditch pitch already, and Seonghwa could swear he saw lanky shadows move in the distance, where the exit of the third floor corridor was, when they heard a terrifying and blood-curdling howl.

They stopped in their tracks, sharpening their senses. 

Yeosang stumbled, nearly crashing into Jongho. He grabbed the younger’s shoulders to prevent himself from tumbling over. His eyes were huge when they flitted around the fields around them. 

He looked at Seonghwa with fear. “W-What was that?” he asked, an almost imperceptible tremble to his voice.

Seonghwa swallowed, the hairs on his neck and arms standing up. He shivered, the silence following the howl was a tenfold louder and chilling.

“I think,” Wooyoung started quietly, “there might be a werewolf at Hogwarts after all.”

“You think one of them is a-a werewolf?” Seonghwa asked in a whisper, almost too terrified to voice this thought.

“Why else would they sneak out during a full moon?”

“Holy shit,” Jongho muttered.

A silent agreement occurred between the four friends. They continued on their way over to the Quidditch pitch, their wands drawn out, and their hearts beating loudly in their chests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mingi:  
> Hwanwoong: *heart eyes*
> 
> That one broadcast of Ateez & Oneus,, best boys all of them!!
> 
> ANYWAY!  
> thank you for all the support it means a lot!!! ily!!!
> 
> \- my [twitter](https://twitter.com/hhhjoong) ^^  
> \- the official [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/77FE21pgG58yzuYa5u5AOv?si=1lPllKkMSqK6VXjLjkUiQw) for wgc  
> \- my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/mist_)!! 
> 
> \- jack💛


	11. Howling Hufflepuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it was about time to get Hongjoong's POV in this baby !! Hope you enjoy it ^^

They were just children when Hongjoong discovered about Mingi’s affliction.

It was jarring for Hongjoong to visit Mingi’s house one evening, expecting his new friend to be on board with him for some impromptu Quidditch match, only to find Mingi’s aunt utterly stressed and irritated, sending Hongjoong home and telling him, that if he valued his life, he’d give up on Mingi.

Of course, Hongjoong didn’t obey. He waited in between some bushes until she left, then he sneaked into the big house. He was aware that it was a crime, but he was a child and the consequences of his actions mattered little to him.

Hongjoong walked up to Mingi’s room, opening the door quietly in the hopes to find him there, but he found it empty and eerily quiet. A bird chirped distantly, breaking the sinister atmosphere. He was about to leave and come back later—or the following morning—when he picked up the noise of loud and disheartened sobbing coming somewhere from downstairs.

Hongjoong tiptoed through the house until he found a hidden door, in front of it stood a table with a vase on top, disguising it. He removed the table and opened the door—a good thing about living in a Muggle family now, was that he had learned some tricks to deal with certain situations without needing his magic—and begun his descent into the Song’s basement. 

The sobbing grew louder, heartbreakingly so, and soon enough turned into wailing. The sound of chains clashing together echoed through the basement and Hongjoong’s heart sank in his chest, fearing what he might encounter. The basement was oddly empty and clean, only one spiderweb hanging in the ceiling. It had a somewhat decorative touch. Hongjoong found Mingi by one of the corners of the basement, chained to the wall, his small figure was trembling as he cried loudly.

Hongjoong approached him hesitantly.

“Mingi?” he called out, his eyes wide with concern, his mind not quite understanding what was going on yet.

Mingi’s head snapped up, his crying stopped abruptly. Fear replaced anything else there might’ve been in his eyes. “Hongjoong? You shouldn’t be here. It’s dangerous— _I’m_ dangerous.”

Hongjoong ignored his words, walking closer. On the wall behind Mingi he spotted clawing marks, similar to those on the ground. As if a wild beast housed in the Song’s basement. 

Hongjoong swallowed, slowly understanding. “Mingi,” he repeated urgently. “What-What is going on?”

Mingi sniffled, the tears coming back. His voice was weak and charged with self-hatred when he spoke again, “I wish you wouldn’t have come,” he told Hongjoong. “You’ll hate me.”

Hongjoong shook his head, kneeling down on the floor, his knee brushing against one of the claw marks. He began to understand that those had been made by Mingi.

“I won’t hate you. You’re my friend— _best_ friend,” he insisted, his hand coming up to brush Mingi’s hair out of his face. His heart was aching at the frightened way his friend was staring at him. He moved his hand away then, to run it over one of the claw marks on the wall behind Mingi. “Was this—Did you do this?” he asked.

Mingi lowered his head in shame. “Yes.” He let out a resigned sigh. “I’m a werewolf, Hongjoong,” he confessed quietly.

Hongjoong had heard of them. That they were monsters—murderers—and did not care for their friends once they turned, but as he looked at Mingi all he could see was a scared and hurt boy. All he could see was his friend. 

He balled his hands into fists, clutching them tightly. “You’re Mingi,” he said decidedly. “And you are a werewolf. So, what?”

“You don’t understand.” Mingi shook his head. “I’m a monster. I’ll-I’ll hurt you. I shouldn’t have befriended you.”

“I don’t care,” Hongjoong said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “You won’t hurt me. You’re my best friend, you won’t hurt me.” He stood up fiercely. “How do I—” He gestured at the chains. “How do I get rid of them?”

Mingi again shook his head. “That isn’t a good idea,” he said. “Once the moon comes out, I’ll turn into a monster. I can feel it already pulsing through me… The influence of the moon.”

“You shouldn’t have to be chained to a wall!” Hongjoong snapped. “I know that there are ways for werewolves to-to live a normal life!”

“I would have to register at the Ministry and my aunt doesn’t want that… _I_ don’t want that.”

Hongjoong sighed, biting the inside of his cheek. He wanted to keep arguing, but it was Mingi’s choice after all, and Hongjoong didn’t know much about werewolves. He’d have to ask his mother about them, do his research.

He sat down in front of Mingi. “Okay.” He put his hands over Mingi’s softly. “I’ll stay here then.”

Mingi winced. “Please don’t,” he begged. “I don’t want you to see me like that.” Hongjoong wanted to protest, Mingi could sense that and snarled. “Hongjoong. I’m telling you, go home. We can talk tomorrow morning about it—Or better yet, the day after tomorrow. I’ll be in a very bad state tomorrow.”

Hongjoong clenched and unclenched his hands, trying to calm himself down. He was angry that Mingi so obviously hated himself, that his aunt had him chained up in the basement every full moon night. He was angry that wizards treated werewolves as less. Mingi was just a boy, not a monster.

Admittedly, Hongjoong was scared and he did grow up with some prejudices towards werewolves, like any other wizard child would. If it weren’t for his mother and the diverse stories she had brought home, showing Hongjoong a different side to their world, he probably would have fled out of the basement the moment Mingi had confessed to being a werewolf. 

(He faintly remembered his mother telling him about an ex-girlfriend of hers that had suffered from lycanthropy. That she had taken _Wolfsbane_ potion to remember who she was.)

“I will be back tomorrow,” Hongjoong promised Mingi. “I will bring chocolate and Muggle games, okay?”

Mingi smiled faintly, barely lifting up the corners of his lips, but to Hongjoong it was enough. “Okay.”

**~*~**

Hogwarts’s grounds shimmered under the moonlight, the thick snow layering nearly every surface, making it look like a wonderland. Hongjoong tiredly dragged his feet through it, shivering and sniffling. Merlin, he hoped he wouldn’t catch a cold after this. He didn’t want to spend his holidays in the Hospital Wing.

Yunho and Mingi were ahead, walking towards the Forbidden Forest. Mingi was halfway through with his transformation, the few drops of _Wolfsbane_ potion he had taken earlier staggered the process, giving them time to make it to the forest before he was completely turned. 

Hongjoong wasn’t sure how much of Mingi they’d have that night, which meant that Yunho and him would have to be especially cautious. 

Mingi let out another howl, half human half werewolf. It was a chilling sound, like a human calling out for help. Hongjoong shivered again.

“Mingi!” Yunho protested. “Shut up, we’re almost there!”

“Don’t be so harsh on him,” Hongjoong hissed, glancing around. He really hoped no one in Hogwarts was awake and heard the howls, it could potentially put them in trouble.

“Well, I’m angry at him,” Yunho countered. “How many times do I have to tell him that the whole reason I became a golden student in _Potions_ is for him. Professor Shin gave me the keys to the classroom, encouraging me to brew potions in my free time, this is the whole reason—”

“I get it!” Hongjoong interrupted him.

Yunho huffed. “You’re so stupid sometimes, Mingi,” he muttered. Mingi growled at that. “You don’t scare me, big boy.”

A gust of wind swooshed over the grounds and Hongjoong’s teeth began clattering, he drew his Hufflepuff scarf tighter around his face. Yunho turned around, looking at him in exasperation.

“What?” Hongjoong scoffed.

Yunho rolled his eyes. “I told you to put on more clothes,” he said, his eyes flitting away from Hongjoong’s face then, latching onto something behind him. “Oh, _fuck_ ,” he mumbled, stopping. “Oh, no…”

Hongjoong frowned and turned around. 

In the far distance, near the Quidditch stands, he spotted four figures moving through the snow slowly and cautiously. He felt anger course through him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered, utterly perplexed at Seonghwa’s noisiness. “Of course, he would be following us. That stupid, little Ravenclaw—”

“Stop,” Yunho hissed, he was rubbing his index finger and thumb against the sides of his face. “I’m getting a headache. I don’t need this.”

“No one does.” Hongjoong watched how the figures grew closer, he could now distinguish the different colors of their scarves. Seonghwa and his friends still hadn’t realized that they had been spotted. “Ugh, what do we do?”

Yunho looked at Mingi, whose pupils were starting to change, his face morphing into one of a wolf, but the look in his eyes was still human.

“I’m going to head into the Forbidden Forest with him. I’ll figure something out.”

“What about me?” Hongjoong asked, but he had an inkling about what he would end up doing. He pulled a grimace.

“You make sure they don’t get killed,” Yunho told him. “Hongjoong, I know that you—I know that it’s been weird lately with Seonghwa, but we can’t let them know about Mingi.”

He sighed. “I know.” Hongjoong ran a hand through his hair, pulling at the ends. Keep calm, he told himself. “If anything happens, call out to me, yeah?”

Yunho nodded. He gave him a reassuring sigh, squeezing Hongjoong’s shoulder tightly, before he started moving again, dragging Mingi with him, who was more and more starting to resemble a wolf. He was growling and snarling.

“By Merlin’s Beard, Mingi, stop drooling over my robes. This is disgusting!” Despite the tension of the situation, Hongjoong couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped him.

For a moment, he stood in the cold, the wind that had begun to blow about was carrying a familiar scent with it, something strong and animal like—similar to what a wet dog smelled like. Even if the sky was clear, the moon’s brightness hiding the stars, there were snowflakes blowing through the air. 

Hongjoong couldn’t feel his nose anymore, and his teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. He braced himself, biting his lower lip and rolling his shoulders in preparation. His recent interactions with the Ravenclaw Prefect had been rather confusing, a strange and uncuttable tension growing between the two boys. At first, he had been able to ignore it, too irritated and angry to pay much attention to it, but then it had slowly shifted. 

Especially after the _Sectumsempra_ incident.

When Seonghwa had broken down, falling to his knees and brushing the hair out of Hongjoong’s face with such delicate fingers. It had been staggeringly soft. Hongjoong had never been treated with that much care by Seonghwa, naturally. He hated to admit that it had made his chest tingle with a peculiar feeling; a cursed feeling.

Hongjoong had surprised himself when he had dragged Seonghwa out of the DADA classroom after the failed Boggart encounter. He had found himself caring for the Ravenclaw, wanting to make sure he would be fine. Hongjoong had wanted to brush those tears away from his cheeks, softly catch them with his thumb before they could trail down his face. Worst of all, he had been overcome with the desire to hold Seonghwa and tell him it wasn’t his fault.

That wasn’t the nature of their relationship. They were meant to hate one another and ruin their daily lives in Hogwarts, but somehow that motivation to bother Seonghwa had lessened within the past month, leaving Hongjoong behind with very confused feelings.

He wasn’t so sure anymore what Seonghwa was to him.

Hongjoong shook himself out of his thoughts, decidedly stalking over to the four Hogwarts students growing in the distance. He could pinpoint the exact moment they spotted him, for Wooyoung abruptly halted, making the others stop as well, Seonghwa nearly slipping on the ice.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Jongho hissed, raising his wand.

“Well, this is just suboptimal,” Wooyoung said. He didn’t seem all too bothered. He never really appeared to be, that innate desire for chaos and stirring shit up getting in the way of taking things seriously. 

Yeosang was the only one that appeared to be mildly guilty and embarrassed that they had been found out.

“Uh,” Seonghwa said intelligently. His black hair was tousled, the wind having messed it up beyond fixing, and it was wildly framing his face. His dark eyes were staring at Hongjoong with irritation. His red, full lips were parted, a cloud of breath appearing and disappearing in front of him as he inhaled and exhaled. Hongjoong tried not to think, cancelling out any thoughts regarding the Ravenclaw Prefect that weren’t anger and annoyance. “This isn’t what it seems,” he lied weakly.

Hongjoong scoffed. “Yeah, right. Don’t take me for stupid, Park.”

“That isn’t hard to do,” mumbled Wooyoung under his breath. Yeosang elbowed him.

Hongjoong glowered at the Gryffindor. “I could redact points from your houses for sneaking out, but I am aware that it would be really hypocritical of me to do so.”

“Yes. I could do the same,” Seonghwa shot back.

Hongjoong pressed his lips together, restraining himself from bickering with him. They didn’t have the time. Plus, Hongjoong didn’t like the excited way he was brimming just thinking about bickering stupidly with Seonghwa. When had it become something he looked forward to? He despised the guy!

“You guys should head back to the castle,” he told them seriously. “It’s, uh, it’s dangerous.”

Jongho stepped forward. “We heard a wolf’s howl,” he said, and Hongjoong swallowed. “Do you know anything about that?”

There was no point in telling them he hadn’t heard it, that they were imagining things. They’d know he was lying. 

“It is none of your business,” he said simply, but Seonghwa and Wooyoung were already opening their mouths to argue. “Seriously, don’t fight me on this. You should go back to the castle.”

“You can’t tell us what to do,” Wooyoung hissed, not possessing the ability to stay quiet and nod along.

Yeosang grabbed the Gryffindor’s arm, shooting him a meaningful look. Hongjoong had learned throughout the years that Yeosang seemed to have a calming effect on the group, the more rational and sensible one. Jongho was still difficult to read, going along with his friends, but, just like all of them, valuing his friends’s well being above anything else.

“It’s dangerous. Like really _fucking_ dangerous, believe me,” Hongjoong insisted. “Please, for once, just do what I’m telling you.”

Seonghwa had his lips pressed together, fighting with himself. Hongjoong looked at him, trying to convey that this wasn’t about their rivalry or a playing matter, it was a serious threat and could end very badly for them. Hongjoong didn’t believe so, he hoped that Mingi’s _Wolfsbane_ potion had the desired effect. The past years it had always gone well and Mingi was a rather fun werewolf. Still, he couldn’t risk it.

Before they could take a decision, Hongjoong heard Jongho gasp loudly, his index finger coming up to point at something behind Hongjoong. His face was paling, and when Yeosang, Wooyoung, and Seonghwa followed the Slytherin’s gaze, their faces morphed into ones of horror.

Wooyoung’s eyes were wide, his voice shaking when he spoke, “Oh, fuck, so there really is a werewolf.”

Hongjoong spun around, nearly losing his balance.

There, in the distance, by the edge of the Forbidden Forest, he saw a werewolf walking around. His long legs dragging across the snow, the snout held up in the air as he sniffed it. Hongjoong squinted at him. He knew what Mingi looked like when he was transformed, and this werewolf didn’t resembled him completely, but that couldn’t be. There were no other werewolves at Hogwarts. Maybe it was due to the distance, the snow and bright moonlight that he looked so different.

“Uh,” Hongjoong breathed out nervously. He turned around to look at the Ravenclaws, the Gryffindor, and the Slytherin. They stood still, their faces nearly as pale as the full moon above them, their eyes torn wide with horror. “Please come with me,” he told them.

They didn’t move, not even showing a reaction to his words, utterly entranced by the werewolf. 

Hongjoong let out an irritated sigh and grabbed Seonghwa’s scarf, pulling at it to get his attention. Seonghwa looked at him, his expression changing. The fear left his eyes and instead there was something else there. Hongjoong couldn’t describe it for he had never seen this look in Seonghwa.

“Come on, please.” He pulled at the scarf again and this time Seonghwa nodded, stepping forward.

“Guys, let’s go,” he whispered to his friends. They snapped out of their shocked states, but looked just as frightened and pale. “Where shall we go? It’s heading towards us, we can’t risk going to the corridor’s entrance.”

Hongjoong dropped the scarf. He looked around. “I think our only option is the Whomping Willow.”

“You mean,” Wooyoung started, his voice so quiet and shaky, nothing like his usual confident self, “we head to the _Shrieking Shack_?” he asked.

Hongjoong nodded. “We would be safe there until dawn. He doesn’t fit through the tunnel.”

“He?” Yeosang echoed.

“The werewolf,” Hongjoong clarified, brushing past them towards the Whomping Willow.

“You mean, you know who the werewolf is,” Jongho said, it wasn’t a question.

Hongjoong swallowed, but didn’t reply. He just kept walking, their footsteps behind him. The Ravenclaw Prefect caught up to him, walking by his side. Hongjoong glanced at him and found Seonghwa already staring at him, a question in his eyes that he seemed struggling to ask. Hongjoong looked away. This was dangerous. Entangling gazes with Seonghwa was frustrating at best, thrilling at worst.

“What is it?”

“I just—Why are you helping us?” wondered Seonghwa.

“Are you serious?” Hongjoong asked, trying not to sound too pissed off that the Ravenclaw thought so low of him. “Just like I know that you wouldn’t hurt me irrevocably, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

“ _Oh_.” Seonghwa sniffled.

“Did you seriously believe I would leave you out here, in a dangerous situation?” he questioned, feeling bothered. “Even if I know that—” he stopped himself, almost having spilled Mingi’s secret. He cleared his throat. “Even if the werewolf isn’t necessarily dangerous, I wouldn’t want you exposed to something that could potentially harm you.”

“Oh,” Seonghwa repeated, quieter. “I guess, er, thank you?”

“You’re welcome.”

They reached the Whomping Willow ten minutes later, and the group was visibly less tense and afraid than before, Wooyoung and Jongho even chatting quietly. Mingi had thankfully not followed them. Hongjoong raised his wand in the air and performed the spell that set the willow into motionlessness, then he beckoned the others over with his hand. 

“Who wants to go first?”

Wooyoung stepped forward; expected from a Gryffindor, Hongjoong supposed.

“I’ll go.” He crouched and entered the tunnel, disappearing seconds later.

Jongho followed suit, then the Ravenclaws went in. Hongjoong stayed out on the grounds for a second, staring down at where the Quidditch field was, the Black Lake spreading out near it. He thought back to that one night, in which Mingi had lingered around the lake, despite his fear of swimming, so unlike himself. Something about that, and the werewolf they had spotted by the edge of the Forbidden Forest, rubbed him the wrong way. 

He often played around with the thought that there was another werewolf hiding away in Hogwarts, but until tonight he never had truly believed it to be right.

“Aren’t you coming?” he heard Seonghwa ask, lingering by the mouth of the tunnel. He was staring up at Hongjoong expectantly.

“Yes, sorry.” He shook himself inwardly and followed the Ravenclaw Prefect. He’d ask Yunho and Mingi the next morning.

Hongjoong wasn’t claustrophobic, but there was something about the secret passage between the Whomping Willow and the _Shrieking Shack_ that unsettled him. It looked seconds away from collapsing, even more so after knowing it had existed for decades. How many werewolves had sneaked through it already? How many more would?

Hongjoong exhaled a sigh of relief when they got inside the rotten and come down house. He straightened up, rubbing the lower part of his back to ease the pain that had formed. The four boys looked at him, waiting for his directions.

“Let’s go upstairs,” he mumbled, brushing past Seonghwa, their shoulders bumping into one another, but neither said anything. 

There was a rush in his ears, though, and his heart was beating a little harder. Maybe it was due to the exertion, he figured, not wanting his thoughts to wander into dangerous territory. Especially not right now. 

He led them upstairs, where the broken bed stood, a layer of dust covering it. The wooden floor was dirty and it squeaked when Hongjoong stepped inside the bedroom. The rest of the _Shrieking Shack_ was unavailable, the rooms either blocked or ruined. Hongjoong didn’t know who the house once belonged to or what it had been used for, before it became a place for werewolves to endure the pains of the full moon.

“See, it’s not that scary, Woo,” Yeosang was saying, addressing his friend.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s terrifying,” Wooyoung said, sniffing his nose and holding his chin in the air, inspecting the house with distaste.

“Mingi said the same thing,” Hongjoong commented stupidly, stopping dead. His heartbeat sped up. “Uh, when we came here once, he hated it,” he tried to cover up. He glanced at the group, they were staring back at him. Yeosang’s eyes were squinted while Wooyoung held a calculating look.

“You came here with Mingi?” Jongho wondered, walking further into the room. He touched a shredded curtain that hung from one of the bed posts. He wrinkled his nose when it fell apart. “Like, for a date?” he further questioned.

For some reason, Hongjoong snuck a look at Seonghwa, awaiting his reaction. The Ravenclaw Prefect was too busy inspecting the destroyed closet in the bedroom. Hongjoong licked his lips, trying not to feel disappointed. Why would he?

“No. Yunho, Mingi, and I have come here often to… have fun,” he answered, cringing at his words.

“You know that sounds really terrible, right?” Wooyoung said, snorting. He coughed then, the dust in the air was thick. He flailed his hand in front of his face.

“Yeah, I agree. That wasn’t a safe, quite the opposite,” Jongho agreed. He sat on the bed, evoking another cloud of dust to arise in the air. Wooyoung cursed him out between coughing.

“You little shit,” he wheezed, pushing Jongho on the bed, who let out a yelp. 

Jongho sprung up, dusting himself off. “Ew, ew, ew!” He shivered. “I hope nothing _weird_ happened on this bed,” he said, shooting Hongjoong a look.

“Dude, no,” Hongjoong said, affronted. “That you would even mentioned something like that…” He shook his head, but found a miniscule smile fighting its way onto his face.

He hated to admit that they were funny.

“What do we do then?” Seonghwa asked, interrupting the playful banter going on. Aside from Yeosang, he still wore a rather serious look on his face, apprehensive even. “Do we just wait here?”

“Yes, until dawn,” Hongjoong affirmed. “There isn’t much to do though.”

Seonghwa dragged his eyes around the room. “I can see that.”

Even if he had tried not to give in, the comment rubbed him the wrong way. _Don’t give in_ , a voice said in his mind, it sounded like Yunho’s, an exasperated sigh accompanying it. Well, he wasn’t there right now to stop him.

“Sorry that this isn’t some luxury hotel,” Hongjoong sneered, rolling his eyes.

“Seonghwa,” Jongho muttered, warningly, when the Ravenclaw Prefect was already stalking over to Hongjoong, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

They were standing nearly chest to chest, Hongjoong could feel Seonghwa’s hot breath tickling his face. It sent chills through his body and his heart began to beat maddeningly in his chest, making him a bit breathless.

“Seonghwa!” Jongho repeated louder. “Let it go. We’ll be here for a couple of hours, let’s not spend it fighting. Please,” he added the last bit with pleading eyes, his mouth pulled into a pout.

Seonghwa kept staring down at Hongjoong, his gaze intense, but he faltered seconds later, stepping back. Hongjoong let out a sigh, not even realizing that he had held his breath. He could feel his face becoming unbearably warm. 

He looked at the floor, feeling shy and exposed. He was in the _Shrieking Shack_ not just with Seonghwa, but three other of his rivals. He was outnumbered and couldn’t afford to have this— _whatever_ it was—to be exposed.

He swallowed, turning around to face the wall, and prayed that his blush would subside soon.

“And to think we could’ve been in the Hogwarts Kitchens, stuffing our bellies,” Yeosang bemoaned.

“Who’s idea was it to follow them in the first place?” Wooyoung hissed, but it was clear that he wasn’t actually pissed off, just a bit bothered.

“Well, you could’ve held me back!” Yeosang complained.

“I mean, we did discover something, didn’t we?” Jongho tried. “That there’s a werewolf in Hogwarts.”

Wooyoung hummed. “That one of them possibly is a werewolf. More accurately, Yunho or Mingi, since Hongjoong is here.”

Hongjoong whirled around, his heartbeat picking up again but it was for a different reason. He felt his hands shake.

“How are you so sure?” he questioned the Gryffindor.

“Oh, come on. Why else would you have sneaked out, plus you’re being super paranoid,” Wooyoung pointed out.

“Yes, and from the way you behave it seems that you know the werewolf,” Seonghwa further added.

Hongjoong shook his head. “We could have reunited with the werewolf outside.”

“Please,” Seonghwa snorted, “as if you have any friends besides those two.”

It was a low blow. The usual insult they would have thrown at one another if things hadn’t changed so drastically and strangely. Hongjoong felt actually hurt by the comment, usually they just riled him up and made him despise the Ravenclaw Prefect, but now his heart sank at those words.

“Fuck you,” he said, clenching his jaw to keep himself from hurling an insult at Seonghwa.

“What?” the Ravenclaw asked, despite that his friends were by his side and he could have Hongjoong at his will, he looked unsure. His friends were looking between the two of them curiously. “Is this not what we do?” he asked quietly.

Hongjoong swallowed and bit the inside of his cheek. “It is,” he admitted. “But please not tonight.”

“That was weird,” Hongjoong heard Wooyoung mumble.

“Not if you’ve paid attention,” Jongho countered.

“Guys, shh, they can literally hear you,” Yeosang said.

Seonghwa glowered at them, shooting Jongho a look.

“I didn’t even say anything,” the Slytherin complained. “Haven’t told a soul.”

“Haven’t told a soul what?” Wooyoung inquired.

“Nothing,” Seonghwa and Jongho said at the same time, the former’s ears were starting to turn red.

“Then it’s settled, no mean comments tonight.” Yeosang looked at the Prefects, who agreed quietly. “Great.”

“I say this is an excellent opportunity to further discuss our _Dungeons & Dragons _ campaign,” Jongho said after a brief and awkward silence.

Hongjoong grimaced and let himself fall down onto the floor, leaning against the wall. He closed his eyes, ignoring the chatter between the four boys with him. For the most part he managed to do just that, resting his eyes and mind as he tuned out their words, but at some point he heard Seonghwa laugh and without his agreement his eyes snapped open to glance at him.

The Ravenclaw’s face was scrunched up in glee, his eyes turning into crescents and his full lips stretched out into a smile. He was slapping Wooyoung’s shoulder, who was complaining about it. Hongjoong found himself mesmerized and not for the first time did he wonder what it would be like if he were to be the cause for Seonghwa’s glee.

It was stupid.

But as Yunho had said, his obsession with Seonghwa could very well be misunderstood as infatuation. Hongjoong didn’t want that to be true, pushing the idea away and being in denial about it, but recently he failed to do so.

He was still staring at the other Prefect, when a pair of huge and inquisitive eyes made him look away, and he found none other than Yeosang looking back at him, with his eyebrows raised in a perplexed manner, his lips parted. Going by his expression, it was as if he had just read Hongjoong’s mind, or perhaps he had seen it on Hongjoong’s face.

Hongjoong knew that he wasn’t really good at hiding his emotions and thoughts. His magic often took the lead and revealed his feelings before he even could register them. The same norm counted for his face, specifically his eyes. They gave away so much—too much.

Hongjoong hated himself for it often, that he was so easily readable and intense about his emotions.

He looked away from Yeosang—and Seonghwa—not wanting for him to see more than Hongjoong was willing to give away, but he did catch the hurt and angry look in Yeosang’s face. It puzzled him.

Hongjoong fell asleep at some point, dreaming of what he had seen in the _Eighth Star_. A painstakingly familiar Ravenclaw boy stood there, blurred out whereas his surroundings were as clear as the blue sky on a fresh spring day. Hongjoong yearned to reach out his hand, but he was so incredibly scared. Seonghwa had his back on him, but his head slowly turned around, as if he had felt Hongjoong’s longing. Just like during the _Divination_ class, Hongjoong didn’t want to see what happened next, so he forced himself to wake up—or at least break out of the dream and fall into another one.

“Wake up!” someone called out. “Hongjoong, wake up!”

When he fluttered his eyes open he believed he was still dreaming. 

His heart stuttered in his chest. Seonghwa stood right there, in front of him, his face impossibly close. Hongjoong thought he could count his eyelashes, see the curve of his nose, which crooked downwards at the tip, and his full and possibly, _incredibly_ soft lips. 

He blinked. He never had noticed how strong Seonghwa’s jawline was, a rather angular face, nothing like the soft and round one he had sported years ago, when they had started their studies at Hogwarts.

“Huh?” Hongjoong huffed, blinking some more. Was this a dream? He wasn’t so sure anymore, since Seonghwa held the typical annoyed expression he always had when he looked at Hongjoong.

Except for the _Sectumsempra_ incident, when he had been so worried about losing Hongjoong. Even crying for him and cradling his face so delicately. 

“It’s dawning, we should head back,” Seonghwa told him, still close to his face. “Wooyoung, Yeosang, and Jongho already left. I stayed back to wake you up.”

Hongjoong barely registered his words, his brain still half asleep and his mind was focusing on the way Seonghwa moved his lips. It was entrancing.

Hongjoong just hummed.

“Can you stop that?” Seonghwa demanded, finally drawing back. He stood up, dusting off his pants.

“Stop what?” Hongjoong cleared his throat, snapping himself out of this weird hypnotic state.

“Staring at me like that.”

Hongjoong swallowed. 

“L-Like what?”

Seonghwa regarded him with an exasperated look, but there was a blush high on his cheeks and he didn’t respond. He simply walked to the door of the bedroom. He turned around one last time, his eyebrows raising as he gestured at Hongjoong to hurry up.

He got up, stumbling as he followed Seonghwa out of the _Shrieking Shack_.

During their way back, Hongjoong was completely quiet. He was allowing this one, peculiar thought in his mind to form and take shape. That burning within him shifted from the usual hate to a soft flutter of his heart. It called out Seonghwa’s name, it beat for him—only for him. It became crystal clear to him now, and he desperately hoped that no one else had noticed. This was his downfall. 

Seonghwa had always been his downfall, but not like this. Never like this. Hongjoong was so, so _fucked._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for 300 kudos!!!!🥰🥰


	12. The Cursed Hufflepuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we continue with the plot, here's a 10k chapter in Mingi's POV!!

Song Mingi remembered distinctly the day he met Kim Hongjoong, they were just children, doomed to live in a Muggle village even though they were Purebloods—casted away from anything that had to do with magic.

Mingi was down by the pond that Sunday afternoon, like he was on most days now that the weather was becoming nicer, and the cold harsh winter was coming to an end. He had come to this village the previous year, when the leaves had begun turning orange and yellow, and the void in his heart had become unbearably noticeable, the warmth he once associated with the winter season was gone forever as his parents were _dead_. And Mingi’s aunt was anything but family, she despised him and blamed him for her sister’s death.

The kids in the village thought Mingi was a weirdo, living with the strange lady in the house up on the hill. They pointed their tiny fingers at him and called him a freak, they questioned why he didn’t attend school like them, and when Mingi had tried to defend himself, his innate magic conjuring up a figure of leaves, they feared him—until the Ministry took care of their memories, of course, and they no longer remembered they feared him and went back to bully him.

Mingi grew accustomed to the loneliness, befriending the fish in the pond, the birds that chirped in the trees around it, and the stray cat mother that took care of her recently born babies. They didn’t call him names, they didn’t make him feel like a freak.

On the fateful day that Hongjoong moved to the village, to live with his dad and step-mother, Mingi was sitting by the pond and feeding bread to the fish. He startled badly when he heard a rustling noise behind him, thinking it were the kids of the village, but to his surprise he came face to face with a boy he had never seen before in his life.

“Oh, I didn’t think someone would be here,” the boy blurted out. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Mingi got up and, since he didn’t have anything better to do—and hope always died last—he offered a chunk of bread to the boy. “Do you want to feed them with me?” he asked, smiling nervously and hopeful.

The boy had a scrutinizing gaze, calculating and searching, as if he was deciding whether Mingi was worth his time or not, and finally took the bread. “Sure,” he replied.

They stayed like that, feeding the fish quietly, until they ran out of ammo and then just watched the nature until Hongjoong cleared his throat, the same look as before in his eyes as he turned towards Mingi.

“Do you believe in magic?” he asked; and it couldn’t be a coincidence, Mingi thought, it really couldn’t.

“Yes. I am a wizard.”

Hongjoong’s entire demeanor changed at that, he smiled wonderfully at Mingi. “Me too!” he responded excitedly. “I can’t wait to start at Hogwarts in two years.”

“Yes!” Mingi agreed, giddiness getting the best of him, making him forget for a moment that he was cursed. “What house to you reckon you’ll be sorted into?”

“Ravenclaw,” Hongjoong said without hesitation. “My whole family was in Ravenclaw, from both sides. Well… Except my mom’s granddad, he was a Slytherin,” he added pensively. “But I definitely will be Ravenclaw, what about you?”

Mingi shrugged. “I honestly have no idea, I’ll have to wait and see, but,” he shyly looked at Hongjoong, hoping his next words wouldn’t be too much, too early, “if you’re Ranvenclaw, then I’ll try my best to be as well.”

Hongjoong just smiled pleased.

**~*~**

The day they entered Hogwarts—the magnificent castle stretching out far and wide above them, its floating candles casting warm light on them, the paintings speaking excitedly about the beginning of the new term, and the mysteries lingering in each corner—was the best day of Mingi’s life. That was until Hongjoong got sorted into Hufflepuff, the seriousness and disappointment on his face was heartbreaking.

“Song Mingi!” Professor Yoo called out several names later, a warm smile on her face as she placed the Sorting Hat on Mingi’s head.

 _Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve been put on someone like you_ , the hat said, its voice in Mingi’s head. _You’re quite a paradox, aren’t you? Loyal and warm despite your fate._

 _Hufflepuff_ , Mingi thought— _told_ —the hat.

 _Hufflepuff?_ the hat wondered, a hint of amusement in its voice. _Not Slytherin? With the ambitious and cunning ones?_

 _No_ , Mingi told it. _Hufflepuff_ , he thought decidedly.

 _So it shall be_. “Hufflepuff!” the hat announced loudly into the Great Hall.

The yellow and black table burst into excited chatter, clapping and cheering as Mingi made his way over to them. He approached Hongjoong, who didn’t look as miserable anymore and instead welcomed Mingi together with the others.

“I was afraid we’d end up in separate houses,” Hongjoong admitted quietly once the next student was sitting on the bench and the Hufflepuff table had quietened down. “I’m glad that we’re both… Hufflepuffs,” he said the house’s name with difficulty. Mingi smiled empathically at him, squeezing his shoulder.

“You’ll make a really good Hufflepuff,” he told him, hoping those were the right words. “Your house doesn’t define you completely, you know?” he added.

Hongjoong sighed, but he did give him a miniscule smile. “I know, sorry.”

Their first class was _Charms_ and they shared it with the Ravenclaws, and Mingi could sense in the hunched shoulders and serious demeanor, that Hongjoong wasn’t all too pleased about this class.

They sat quietly by the front of the room, waiting on Professor Chae Dodo. Mingi wanted to start up a conversation, distract his friend from the sea of blue and silver around them, but nothing came to his mind for he had no idea what his friend must be feeling. Mingi was used to being a disappointment, his aunt never ceased to remind him he was the cause for his parents’s death, that she was now burdened with him and his secret—that if anyone were to discover the truth she’d be robbed of her position in the Ministry and he could be expelled from Hogwarts. 

No one had been there to give Mingi any supporting and uplifting words, he had to maneuver this alone, so he had no advice to share with Hongjoong, to make his suffering less.

Hongjoong sat rigid in his seat, his jaw set, and his shoulders still tense, gripping his wand tightly as he stared decidedly ahead.

Something soft and white landed on the tip of Mingi’s nose, a cold sensation spreading from the point of contact. He moved his finger to wipe the wetness away, wondering what it was. The answer came seconds later when another snowflake fell out of nothingness onto their table. He turned his head to his friend, who didn’t seem to notice that it was snowing and he was the cause.

“Hongjoong, you’re, ah, making it snow in the classroom,” Mingi told him, an awkward laugh as he stared at the thick, white flocks falling all around them.

Some students laughed, others stared in astonishment. Hongjoong startled, looking at Mingi with wide eyes.

“Wow,” said one of the Ravenclaws sitting near them; he elbowed his seatmate and pointed at the snow. “Look! That’s amazing!”

Mingi turned to look at him. He had raven hair, falling softly over warm brown eyes, and a straight nose. His lips were full and pretty, like the rest of him. He was the kind of pretty that mothers would gush over, wanting the boy to become their in-law. The kind that everyone claimed would grow up to become very handsome one day. Hongjoong seemed to have noticed him as well as he stared with an unreadable look on his face.

“Don’t worry, Seonghwa, you’ll be able to do just that and more amazing things in no time,” the seatmate of Seonghwa spoke up with a reassuring smile.

This one was familiar to Mingi, with his dark, curly hair and rather small stature. He had huge eyes and a nearly too perfect face to be real. For his young age, he had a rather serious and mature looking eyes. Much like Seonghwa, he radiated an energy that wasn’t like others, a level of ethereal beauty to him that crossed the line in between human and supernatural.

“I can’t wait!” The smile Seonghwa shot his friend was bright and so full of hope and enthusiasm. “This is so cool!”

Hongjoong scoffed, turning his eyes away. He flicked his wand and stopped the snowfall successfully. There was a haughty expression on his face as he put his wand down on his table. Mingi kept staring at the Ravenclaws; the smaller one, with the serious eyes, began to finally ring a bell in Mingi’s head. He elbowed Hongjoong to get his attention and nodded his chin at the Ravenclaw.

“Isn’t that the boy that fainted during the Sorting Ceremony?” he asked in a hushed whisper as to not get the attention of anyone around them. 

During the sorting ceremony, a bit before Hongjoong had gotten sorted, the same Ravenclaw boy had walked up to the Sorting Hat, except he hadn’t made it far, the moment he had turned to sit down on the chair, facing the Great Hall, he had fainted. This had, of course, alarmed the castle’s staff, and Professor Yoo had called over Madame Eunji, who immediately had taken the young boy to the Hospital Wing. Professor Yoo had demanded of the students not to make fun of the boy for fainting, and soon after, once Hogwarts’s Welcoming Feast began, it lay forgotten already.

Mingi cocked his head, giving him one last and long glance, studying his face and wondering why he had fainted. The boy seemed to notice Mingi’s eyes on him because he looked up then and to Mingi’s surprise, the boy blushed and ducked his head, as if he was shy.

Mingi frowned and looked away as well, turning again towards Hongjoong, who had a displeased grimace on his face and hard eyes.

“Are you all right?” Mingi asked worriedly as he eyed him. “Usually, it is _me_ who is angry.”

“I’m all right.”

“That’s a lie,” Mingi pointed out and sighed heavily. “But, whatever it is, you know you can count on me, right?” he told him, quietly, and lowered his head so he could look at him properly. Hongjoong sighed and turned his head slightly to return his best friend’s gaze. “I’ll always be here for you.”

“I know, thank you.”

Seconds later Professor Chae marched into the class, tall and slender, elegantly moving her wand as she made letters appear on the green board. She held her chin high as she seized up the classroom.

“I’ll allow these seating arrangements for now, as it is your first day; but,” her eyes moved around the students with a studying gaze, “if I hear _any_ disturbance or irrelevant chatter, I will assign each of you a new seatmate; is that clear?” A chorus of _Yes, Professor_ echoed through the classroom.

Once the class was over, Mingi packed up his belongings and it wasn’t long until he dashed out of the _Charms_ classroom with Hongjoong, their next class was _Herbology_ and if they didn’t hurry, they’d be late. Even if Professor Son Hyunwoo was the Head of Hufflepuff, he could be strict, not opposed to taking away points of his own house for things such as tardiness.

“Wait!” someone called out. 

To Mingi’s confusion, Hongjoong faltered in his steps and turned around, a curious look on his face, and he nearly crashed into Mingi when he saw that the Ravenclaw boy with the raven hair was looking straight at him.

“You’re… You’re talking to _me_?” Hongjoong asked, making sure he wasn’t caught up in delusional thoughts.

Seonghwa giggled. “Yes.” He walked over to Hongjoong and Mingi, his friend following him anxiously, his head bowed low. “I wanted to ask you about that snowing incantation? It was so pretty!”

Hongjoong stared at him, Mingi saw his ears turn red. But it wasn’t out of embarrassment—not the kind one got when they grew shy after being spoken to. Hongjoong’s eyes were full of resentment and annoyance, as if the Ravenclaw had personally insulted him. Mingi wondered what was going through his friend’s mind. He had his hands balled into fists and was clenching them, and if Mingi didn’t know better he’d believe Hongjoong was about to punch Seonghwa; he rushed forward to place his hands on Hongjoong’s, to soothe him.

They couldn’t afford having a scene on their first day, much less get into a fight with students.

“We’re going to be late for _Herbology_ ,” Mingi said in an urgent voice, eyeing the two Ravenclaws. “Sorry, we really have to hurry!” With that he pulled Hongjoong away, who didn’t put up much of a struggle; he seemed rather relieved that Mingi was dragging him away.

“What was that about?” Mingi asked as they exited the castle, walking over to the green houses. “You looked like you wanted to punch him…?”

Hongjoong rolled his shoulders. “Yeah, well, I would’ve.”

Mingi gasped. “Why?”

“He was being conde—” He coughed, embarrassed, as he tried to remember the word. “Condescending. He was being condescending.”

Mingi sideglanced him, confused. To him Seonghwa had just seemed eager to speak with Hongjoong, but perhaps he had missed something. Maybe he really had tried to tease Hongjoong for making it snow in the classroom, mock him for not being able to control his emotions, and having a very sensitive magic that reacted strongly to his emotions. 

“Are you sure?” he asked nonetheless.

“Yes,” Hongjoong answered firmly. “I bet he thinks he’s better than us for being a Ravenclaw. I’m sure he’s half Veela, too, and thinks he can charm everyone.”

Mingi parted his mouth to ask why he believed Seonghwa was a Veela, but then he thought back to the Ravenclaw’s pretty features. His friend as well, beautiful and delicate. 

_Hongjoong might be right_ , he thought to himself.

“Well, if he bothers you again, I’ll make sure he’ll regret it,” Mingi promised his friend, who smiled gratefully at him.

They walked down to the greenhouses with hurry, seeing as the group of students reunited outside was being let inside by Professor Son already. He spotted them in the distance and with a polite smile waited on them.

“I’m letting it slide this one time since it’s your first day,” Professor Son told them in a low whisper.

“Thank you, Professor,” they mumbled in unison and quickly went inside, standing next to a tall Gryffindor student.

After Professor Son introduced the class to them and explained their daily assignment, to be completed in teams of three or four, Hongjoong and Mingi turned to look around the classroom in search of a familiar face in between the Hufflepuffs.

“Excuse me,” the tall Gryffindor said. “Would it be all right with you if we form a group? You see, I don’t really know anyone yet.”

He had rather soft features for being so intimidatingly tall at this age already. His eyes were wide and hopeful, his lips curled upwards, and he smiled hesitantly at them. His hair was dark brown, silky looking, falling flatly over his forehead.

“Ah, sure,” Mingi said. “What’s your name? I’m Song Mingi and this is Kim Hongjoong.”

“Jeong Yunho,” he introduced himself with a bright smile.

The three began moving around in the greenhouse to gather the utensils (a pot, gardening tools, magical seeds, a bag of magically altered soil), when Professor Son walked to the front of the classroom, clearing his throat. A Gryffindor student stood with him. He was small in stature, alike Hongjoong, and he looked about two seconds away from crying, yet he had his eyes cast forward with a challenging look in them, as if he was daring anyone in the classroom to confront him.

“It has come to my attention, that no one is letting Mr Jeong into their group,” Professor Son said, a disappointed frown appearing on his face. “We don’t tolerate bullying here, even less in my class, you should know. I’m particularly disappointed in my students as it is not a Hufflepuff value to seclude someone from participating because of some absurd rumors.”

Hongjoong frowned as he stared at the Gryffindor boy, his eyes wandering over his face as he studied him—it was the same scrutinizing gaze he had given Mingi two years ago—and just like Mingi, he was trying to figure out where he could have possibly seen him before, as his face was strangely familiar.

A gasp resonated through the classroom when Yunho raised his hand. “Professor, Wooyoung can come into our team if he wants to.” Professor Son smiled gratefully at that and gave the Gryffindor boy a slight push towards them. “You’re Jeong Wooyoung, aren’t you?” Yunho asked once Wooyoung stood with them, awkwardly pulling at his sleeve. 

He nodded, squinting at Yunho, as if he waited to be tested by him too, but Yunho just introduced them all to him.

**~*~**

The following weeks Mingi slowly found himself feeling at home in Hogwarts, something that he was very unused of. Home always had been like a luxury to him, but there—safely in those stone walls, cozy fires, labyrinthic corridors and staircases—he believed he was finding a home. With Hongjoong and Yunho by his side, supporting him and helping him when his curse got worse; even trying to find solutions for him to make it easier whilst he stayed in the castle. It warmed his heart in a way that nothing ever had.

At first, he had feared Yunho would run away, but just like Hongjoong, who had promised to stay at Mingi’s side once he had found out about his curse, Yunho stayed as well, not a look of disgust crossing his face, not thinking less of Mingi.

It was so much more he could’ve asked for.

Wooyoung, on the other hand, was nothing like Yunho. He was quiet and reserved, not hanging out with them much aside from their shared classes. After that first _Herbology_ class, he had figured out why Wooyoung was so incredibly familiar. He was Jeong Wooyoung, the son of terrible murderers, one of which was still alive—rotting away in Azkaban thankfully. No wonder no one wanted to befriend him, terrified and disgusted by him on equal amounts.

Mingi didn’t know what to make of him, he was abrasive, much like Mingi could become during his worst states, and held everyone at an arm’s length. It was hard to get him to talk, much less befriend, so at some point they had stopped trying. Mingi didn’t mind all that much, he had his two friends.

But fate seemed to think differently, their story with Wooyoung not quite done, yet, as one late October day, when they walked into the Library to work on their _Transfiguration_ essay, they found Wooyoung hanging out with Park Seonghwa and Kang Yeosang. This, of course, irked Hongjoong to no end, who, over the course of the past weeks, had built up somewhat of a rivalry with Seonghwa.

Seonghwa appeared an excellent and obedient student to most, hanging on the professors’s lips during classes and handing in all their essays with neat handwriting and comprehensive arguments, but when the corridors were empty and it was just them, Seonghwa glowered back at Hongjoong, his eyebrows raised in a haughty way and mocking words falling from his lips.

“Why is he with them?” Hongjoong asked, bothered.

“Huh?” Yunho looked over to the odd group. “I’m not sure on the details myself, but I heard that Seonghwa hexed some students that were hurting Wooyoung. He even used third year spells! Allegedly,” he added quickly.

“Really? Didn’t think Park had it in him to hex others like that,” Mingi said surprised.

“They deserved it, though, if they were bullying Wooyoung,” Yunho said. “Don’t you agree?”

“Maybe, but Park isn’t what he makes himself to be, we know that. He just tries to be good,” Hongjoong added, scowling. Mingi hummed in agreement.

Yunho muttered something under his breath that neither of his Hufflepuff friends caught. Hongjoong was too busy staring at the Ravenclaws and their Gryffindor, a strange look crossing his face, anger slowly blooming in his eyes the more he looked at them, undoubtedly his thoughts eating away at him. Before Yunho or Mingi could do anything, he stood up and marched over to Seonghwa, Yeosang, and Wooyoung with long strides and tensed shoulders.

“Oh, boy,” Yunho mumbled.

Mingi got up, sworn to stand behind Hongjoong the day he met him, his loyalty to his friend was dear to him, and he had promised him to always support him no matter what. Even if it meant to get into a fight in the Library.

Yunho stayed behind, watching their belongings, but he had his wand drawn out, discreetly hidden beneath his robes.

“Wooyoung,” Hongjoong called when he stood right behind Seonghwa. Mingi was right next to him, silently waiting for the outcome.

Wooyoung looked up confused. “Ah, Hongjoong. Mingi. What brings you here?” he asked.

“You’re hanging out with them now?” Hongjoong asked, something nasty and unfamiliar layering beneath his cold tone. Mingi had heard him use it with his father on several occasions.

Seonghwa was looking up at them in confusion, Yeosang had given the Hufflepuffs a quick glance before he returned to his homework. He reminded Mingi a bit of Yunho, with his rather unbothered demeanor, staying out of the fights most of the time. When the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws crossed in the corridors, Yeosang never said anything but just like Mingi he stood behind his friend faithfully, ready to strike if necessary.

“Yes? Is there a problem with that?” Wooyoung asked, narrowing his eyes. “Not that it would matter, I can hang out with whoever I want.”

Hongjoong shrugged nonchalantly, the darkness inside him growing. Mingi didn’t like it, Hongjoong was so much more than what his dad had made out of him with his negligence. “Sure, you can. Just interesting what crowd you chose.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Seonghwa inquired, his confusion disappearing and anger growing in its place.

Yeosang looked up, an icy look in his eyes. Mingi parted his lips, surprised, usually the small Ravenclaw wore a blank look.

“You’re choosing these elite and arrogant Ravenclaws, it really shows what kind of person you are…” Hongjoong said.

Mingi clenched his jaw and his hand coming up to his trousers, where his wand was hidden in. The air grew thick with tension as the boys eyed one another.

“Excuse me, have I ever done something to offend you?” Seonghwa asked innocently, standing up. He was a few centimeters taller than Hongjoong. “I don’t even know you.”

Mingi himself was now growing angry at how blatantly Seonghwa was lying and playing the good boy card.

“Then who’s the boy you hexed just three days ago?” he asked challenging. Hongjoong nodded his head, raising his chin defiantly.

Seonghwa shot him an annoyed look, scowling like a little child that got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“You might not really know me, but I know _your_ _kind_ ,” Hongjoong answered. Seonghwa scoffed. “You’re the kind of arrogant wizards that think they’re better than others. You think just because you’re in Ravenclaw you’re smarter than others, more deserving of your magic. You’re cruel and—” He was silenced abruptly when Wooyoung crawled over the table and punched him in his stomach, his eyes ablaze.

“Shut up, Hongjoong! You don’t know _anything_!” hissed the Gryffindor, offended on behalf of his Ravenclaw friends.

Yeosang slowly shut his book, his icy look vanishing and he glanced anxiously at something behind Hongjoong and Mingi.

“Students,” a voice drawled out. Mr Do appeared, his eyebrows raised in question and exasperation. “Might I ask what you think you’re doing, disrupting the Library’s quietness? Breaking rules?”

“It’s not what you think, Mr Do,” Mingi tried to salvage the situation, but it didn’t take much to realize they had been fighting.

“Ten points from each of your houses, and 5 extra points for trying to lie to me, Mr Song, in the most absurd way,” he said, shaking his head in displeasure. “Now, I can’t expel you permanently from the Library, but for today I must ask you to leave. I won’t tolerate this behavior here. Don’t make me get the Headmistress involved,” he added warningly.

“But—” Seonghwa started, his tone whiny.

“No ‘buts’, Mr Park,” he cut him off. “I’m giving you five minutes to leave.”

The boys let out pettish groans, but did comply, clearing the tables of their belongings; Yeosang and Seonghwa hurriedly put their books back, whereas Mingi and Hongjoong walked over to where Yunho sat with wide and confused eyes.

“So, we were kicked out,” Hongjoong revealed bitterly.

“I got that much,” Yunho said. “But what happened? Why did you fight them?”

“I don’t like them,” Hongjoong told him with a shrug. He grabbed his bag, waiting for Yunho and Mingi to follow him.

“Why?”

“I have my reasons,” he replied, not wanting to get into it, not with Seonghwa and his friends only a few feet away, ogling Hongjoong like he was a three headed troll—a particularly nasty one. 

Yunho gave Mingi a confused look, but Mingi shook his head and shrugged. “Come on, let’s go! I’ll explain it to you on the way.”

“All right.” 

When they revealed to Yunho what had been happening in between them and the Ravenclaws and Wooyoung, Yunho looked betrayed and hurt for a moment about having been kept in the dark, but he soon promised them he was on their side and would aid them in whatever it was they needed, as long as he didn’t have to directly get himself involved for he didn’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble to his house and parents.

**~*~**

It all came down to a rainy November night, when coldness seeped through the cracks in the castle and the corridors were eerily quiet. 

Slytherin and Hufflepuff had just played, the latter winning by 50 points. It had been a long game; Hongjoong, Mingi, and Yunho had stood in the stands to cheer their Quidditch team on. Despite the rain and cold wind, with their yellow scarves—they had lent Yunho one to fit in with them—firmly wrapped around the necks, and huge banners they had prepared last second. Their work had paid off in the end. 

They weren’t really supposed to wander the corridors so late at night, but Mingi had discovered where the Kitchens were and how to enter them some weeks ago, so after the Quidditch victory, they decided to feast at the Kitchens, where the friendly house-elves were always ready to cook something up. 

Mingi tickled the pear, ignoring the snort Yunho gave at such strange task. Seconds later the painting of the fruit bowl clicked open. The three boys ventured inside, immediately welcomed by a small, gangly creature with wide eyes and bat ears.

“Mr Song, sir!” she called out in polite excitement. “Ceely is delighted to see you again! And you’ve brought friends!” The house-elf bowed, her cravat pooling by her leather sandals.

Hongjoong had a hard time to not laugh at the absolute horrible fashion sense Ceely possessed. After the house-elves revolution in the 90s, many house-elves had started purchasing their own clothes, blissfully unaware of human fashion.

“Moddey! Hipsy!” she called out into the kitchens and soon she was joined by two other house-elves, equal fashion disasters. “Mr Song has brought friends! Will it be the usual, sir?”

Mingi nodded his head. “Yes. Thank you, Ceely; and I’ve told you to just call me Mingi,” he told her, embarrassed.

“Ceely apologizes… Mr Mingi,” she bowed again before she ran off to prepare the regular meal Mingi ordered when he hung out in the Kitchens. 

“Come on, guys, let’s sit down,” Mingi said, moving to an area where several small tables with chairs were situated, but before they could even sit down, there were voices coming from the entrance of the kitchens.

“Oh!” Moddey gasped, eyeing the Hufflepuffs and their Gryffindor with apprehension. He walked quickly to the door, too see who it was, and exhaled in relief. “Mr Wooyoung! What a delightful surprise!”

“Thank you, Moddey,” came Wooyoung’s voice and seconds later he appeared in the Kitchens. “My friend brought you a present! I told him it was your birthday recently.”

Moddey’s eyes became shiny very quickly and he rushed to hug Wooyoung tightly. “You didn’t have to, Mr Wooyoung, sir!”

He laughed abashedly. “It’s nothing, Moddey,” a second voice said.

Behind Wooyoung none other than Seonghwa entered, he held a small package and a nervous smile as he handed it to Moddey, who took it while he sobbed ungraciously.

“Um, happy belated birthday?” Seonghwa told him, exchanging a look with Wooyoung.

“Thank you, thank you,” Moddey whispered. “What is your name, sir?”

“Park Seonghwa.”

“Mr Seonghwa, I will treasure this present!” he promised, unpacking what appeared to be a white baseball hat with the print of a rainbow on it. “A rainbow!”

“Yes. I accidentally bought one too many hats, and Wooyoung said you were fond of rainbows, so, uh…” Seonghwa trailed off, awkward as Moddey seemed to sob even harder, placing the hat on his small head. He detached himself from Wooyoung and moved to hug Seonghwa just as tightly.

“Moddey! Control yourself!” Ceely chastised him, her hands on her hips. “We have many guests tonight, don’t make a mess!” she told him, then bowed at the newcomers. “Welcome, Mr Jeong, Mr Park.”

“Many guests?” Wooyoung echoed, a frown on his face, but Ceely needed not to answer as his eyes fell on the group already gathered by the tables. “Ah, of course.”

Seonghwa’s eyes met Hongjoong’s, a scowl pulling at his lips.

Mingi scoffed, grabbing his wand tightly beneath his robes, and raised his eyebrows at them. Despite Hufflepuff winning, he was in a bad mood these days and easily irritable. “What are you doing here?” he asked in a harsh tone.

“We wanted to get some hot chocolate,” Wooyoung answered, crossing his arms over his chest. “We didn’t know there were… rats in the kitchen.”

Ceely gasped, offended. “Sir, there are no such critters here! My Kitchens are clean!” she promised.

“Sorry, Ceely, I was, uh, referring to them,” Wooyoung apologized, pointing at the students.

“Oh.” She let out a sigh and returned to making whatever it was she was cooking.

“Nice going, Jeong, insulting the Head of the Kitchens,” Mingi said with a snort.

“You know, when you refer to him by his family name, it gets very confusing,” Yunho muttered.

“Right, sorry.”

“Well, we were here first, so you two should leave!” Hongjoong told them, advancing.

“I didn’t know you could claim the Kitchens,” Seonghwa shot back, stepping forward as well.

Yunho mumbled something under his breath, rolling his eyes, but he did position himself behind Hongjoong; Mingi followed suit.

Moddey watched the whole exchange with badly hidden curiosity as he stirred the hot chocolate.

“How about we settle this in the wizard way?” Wooyoung offered, a wicked grin on his face. 

“Which would be?” Seonghwa asked, turning to look at his friend questioningly.

Mingi frowned, how did he not know the wizard customs? He was the best one in their grade, exceeding in all classes and mastering every spell with such ease it made Mingi jealous. Hongjoong, too, his competitiveness growing whenever Seonghwa was involved. 

“A duel,” Wooyoung and Mingi said at the same time. “You versus Kim,” Wooyoung clarified.

“I don’t know,” Seonghwa said hesitantly, eyeing Hongjoong with something akin to pity.

Hongjoong frowned, feeling his skin crawl and itch. That darkness Mingi didn’t like returned to his eyes, but he felt it as well in the pit of his stomach—acidic and terrible. 

“I’m in!” Hongjoong said, fiercely and challenging, and looked at Seonghwa with an air of superiority. It’d be the Ravenclaw’s downfall to underestimate him.

Seonghwa sighed, resigned, and shrugged. “Fine. I’m in too.”

After discussing the details—whilst Seonghwa and Wooyoung were enjoying their hot chocolate—they made their way out of the Kitchens, leaving behind a very disappointed Ceely. She handed Mingi the food, packed away, plus some cookies for him to eat before going to bed. They made their way through the cold corridors, avoiding professors on patrol and Caretaker Byun. Wooyoung led them to an empty classroom on the fourth floor, which was unlocked, inside they found a ghost reading peacefully. 

He raised his eyebrows at the intrusion. “Wooyoung, who are these people?”

“Sorry, San.” He bowed his head in apology. “I know this is your reading room, but, er, these two are about to have a duel and this was the first place that came to my mind that would be unlocked…” he explained.

Mingi looked around himself: the classroom was full of broken chairs and tables, layered in dust and dirt. It didn’t seem to be used for any classes. He wondered why. The ghost wore student robes, the Slytherin colors edged into his tie and the crest on his sweater. Choi San, if Mingi wasn’t mistaken, was the notorious Slytherin ghost, known for his good looks and charming personality, but as well for the palpable sadness surrounding him. He hadn’t known that Wooyoung was friends with San.

“Ah…” San looked at the group of eleven year olds, raising his eyebrows. He couldn’t be older than sixteen; there were no visible injuries on him—no dangling head, no bleeding wound, no bite marks—which only made the mystery surrounding his death bigger. Mingi had heard rumors, but nothing all too credible. “I suppose you can use the room for your duel. I don’t condone violence, but a bit of havoc sounds… _fun_.”

“Aren’t you supposed to stop us or something?” Yunho asked, nodding his head in the direction of the Prefect badge on San’s robes.

“I’m dead. It doesn’t really concern me what you boys get up to. Besides, it might be entertaining,” he answered with a shrug. He put the book away on a shelf and settled next to Wooyoung. “Are these your new friends?”

Wooyoung shook his head. “Only the Ravenclaw one. Park Seonghwa.”

“Ah, the one that cursed those Gryffindors and Slytherins?” San further asked, to which Wooyoung nodded, smiling proudly.

“He used third year spells!”

“As expected of a Ravenclaw, ahead of his classes,” San said, nodding his head, and gave Seonghwa an encouraging thumbs up. Mingi, who had been listening in on the conversation, scowled at the praise, much like Hongjoong.

After clearing up the center of the classroom, Hongjoong and Seonghwa moved to stand across one another, their wands drawn out. There was a silence in the classroom, nearly suffocating; Mingi could hear the sound of mice somewhere, crawling over the floor. His own heartbeat sounded louder in the dead silence, he just hoped it wasn’t so loud as that Seonghwa would hear it. 

Seonghwa didn’t look all too put out by the impromptu dueling match; his black hair was falling messily into his face as always, his thick eyebrows drawn together in concentration and his lips pressed tightly, his dark brown eyes never leaving Hongjoong. It was a bit unsettling.

Without a word they bowed to one another, and then, quick as lightning, Hongjoong flicked his wand, “ _Flipendo_!”

Seonghwa’s eyes widened and he flew into the air, nearly knocking into Wooyoung and San. A cloud of dust rose into the air, making the Ravenclaw cough violently, but he stood up again, swishing his wand.

“ _Rictumsempra_!” he yelled, his voice croaky.

Hongjoong yelped and squirmed, as invisible fingers were tickling his sides. He pressed his lips shut, so that he wouldn’t burst out into laughter. He whispered the counter spell and stood up, but before he could even think of a spell, Seonghwa was already flicking his wand at a mountain of books.

“ _Oppugno_!” 

The books flew over to Hongjoong, who raised his arms to shelter himself from the attack. “ _Impedimenta_!” he yelled, getting up from the ground with a grin.

The Ravenclaw tried to move his arm, but it was incredibly slow. Hongjoong used this to his advantage.

“ _Levicorpus_!” He watched with satisfaction how Seonghwa was lifted into the air in an uncomfortable angle.

“Hey, dung brain!” called out Wooyoung, whereas Yunho gasped in surprise. “That’s a prohibited spell!”

Hongjoong shrugged. “So, what? We set no rules.”

San’s face was a blank mask, he frowned, but didn’t say anything. Yunho and Mingi exchanged a troubled look, surprised Hongjoong would use a jinx that had been prohibited on school grounds for decades, but then again this whole duel wasn’t exactly allowed.

“ _Locomotor Wibbly_ ,” Seonghwa said and pointed his wand at Hongjoong, who collapsed, letting out a surprised groan. Seonghwa pointed at himself and mumbled the counter spell to the levitating hex. He stared at Hongjoong with a strange expression.

Hongjoong got up again, pointing his wand at Seonghwa, and quickly yelled, “ _Expelliarmus_!” The Ravenclaw’s wand flew into Hongjoong’s hand. He grinned triumphantly. “I believe I won.”

Seonghwa didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared at him, and something about it was very disarming. As if he was reading Hongjoong’s every thought. Then he shrugged.

“I suppose you did,” he said and reached out his hand to demand back his wand. Hongjoong handed it to him. “As the winner, is there anything in particular you want from me?”

“I’m glad you asked. I want you to admit I’m the better wizard.”

Seonghwa pulled a face. “Fine. You are the better wizard.”

Hongjoong rolled his eyes. “No, not here. Tomorrow in the Great Hall, in front of everyone.”

Wooyoung groaned and used an incredibly nasty swear word that made San laugh gleefully. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he mumbled.

“ _Fine_ ,” Seonghwa hissed. “Come on, we’re leaving,” he said addressing his Gryffindor friend. The Slytherin ghost left with them.

Hongjoong turned to look at his friends, badly concealing his pride. “I won!”

“Hell yeah!” Mingi high-fived him. “Come on, Ceely packed me the food. Let’s feast!”

**~*~**

When their second year at Hogwarts came around and they arrived at Hogsmeade Station, not walking to the boats that September 1st, but heading straight to the horseless carriages, Mingi realized yet again that he was different from his peers.

Whereas Hongjoong and Yunho stepped into a carriage without thinking too much about it, Mingi stopped in his steps and just stared at the ugly creature standing scarily in the darkness. It looked mostly like a horse, except it had no fur and there were wings growing out of its body, and its face was ten times more frightening than the one of a horse ever could be. 

“Mingi, what’s taking you so long?” Yunho asked, cocking his head curiously. “Aren’t you getting in?”

Mingi blinked, looked away from the creature, and cocked his head at his friends. “You don’t… see it?” he asked, shivering.

“See what?” Hongjoong asked.

“The… _thing_? It’s literally standing there,” he said and pointed at the creature, it shook its head as if it knew they were talking about it—maybe it did, Mingi realized.

“What thing?” Hongjoong asked, frowning.

But before Mingi could add anything else, a loud scream disrupted the night. The three turned around startled; Hongjoong drew out his wand alarmed. It was Wooyoung, standing by the carriage behind theirs, Yeosang and Seonghwa worriedly fuzzing around him, asking him if he was okay.

Wooyoung was pointing at the creature, his eyes wide with terror. Seonghwa stalked off to search for Professor Kim Namjoon, the castle’s Groundskeeper and in charge of taking the first years to Hogwarts by boat. Yeosang stood with Wooyoung, soothingly passing a hand through his friend’s hair.

Wooyoung must’ve noticed the staring for his eyes snapped up and met Mingi’s, but his frightened expression didn’t change, he just gave him a blank and tired look. Mingi looked at the creature before he looked back at Wooyoung, who then understood that he wasn’t the only one to see them and the tension in his shoulders lessened slightly.

“What’s he looking at?” Yeosang hissed, glaring at Mingi. It was uncharacteristic for him, usually he tried to stay out of any confrontation, not wanting to draw attention to him. Mingi had noticed, though, that on some rare occasions he did speak up, mostly to defend his friends. 

“Don’t bother,” Wooyoung muttered.

“Piss off, Song,” Yeosang said, louder, his eyes ablaze.

Mingi rolled his eyes, wanting to throw a jab at Yeosang, but Yunho cleared his throat.

“Mingi, come on, I’m freezing. Let’s leave.”

“You should listen to your friend, Song,” Yeosang told him warningly.

“You don’t scare me, little Ice King,” Mingi only said back, feeling momentarily rejoiced at the irritated look crossing Yeosang’s face at the nickname Mingi had given him by the end of the previous term. Mingi smirked and joined his friends in the carriage.

The creature started moving when they were all inside, the carriage tumbling from one side to another, and Mingi gripped the edge to ground himself. He watched the landscape around them change, Hogsmeade’s station vanished as the huge forest raised on one side, and wide open fields on the other. He wondered if he’d be scared of the Forbidden Forest if he didn’t spend so much time in it; everyone else feared it by just looking at it.

“I swear by Merlin, I won’t tolerate any of Park’s bullshit this year,” Hongjoong said with a scowl. “You should join our forces, Yunho. For sure.”

Yunho shrugged. “You know I don’t like to get involved too much. I’ll help you practice hexes and prepare those silly pranks, but don’t make me sneak out in the middle of the night.”

Hongjoong rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

“Don’t you guys think Kang was acting differently?” Mingi asked, thinking back to the aggressive way the Ravenclaw had reacted.

“Yes, he was oddly irritated,” Hongjoong agreed. “Speaking of which, I wonder why Wooyoung screamed.” He looked at Mingi, as if he knew.

“The carriages, they’re pulled by… I’m not exactly sure what that is, but there’s a _very_ _ugly_ thing pulling it,” Mingi explained them, looking at the grayish back of the creature.

“Really?” Yunho inquired, looking at it, too, but seeing nothing. “How did we not know it? How can _we_ not see it, but you and Wooyoung can?”

Mingi shrugged. “I’m as surprised as you, if not more.”

Yunho stared at Mingi now, his look a cross in between worry and curiosity. “Do you think…” he hesitated. “Do you think it has anything to do with your—”

Mingi shook his head. “No,” he cut him off. “Whatever it is, it’s not that.”

“Are you sure?” Yunho pushed.

“Yes. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one in this castle, we would know. _I_ would know.”

“I guess you’re right.”

They fell into silence, until Hongjoong brought up Quidditch and immediately all their attention was pulled towards the famous wizard sport, especially exciting for them that year as they were finally old enough to tryout for their house’s team.

**~*~**

The most memorable thing during their third year, was the sneaking out during the dead of the night, with the castle’s darkness covering them. It wasn’t even related to Mingi’s curse, rather about pranking the Ravenclaws. Hongjoong had written down a list of pranks they could perform. After they had woken up one October morning and had gone to class, all clueless, only to have their ink explode in their faces, Hongjoong had been livid and promised sweet, sweet revenge upon Seonghwa and his friends.

Over the course of the past few weeks, the pranking had gone back and forth, growing in absurdity and numbers. Mingi didn’t mind it, he liked the pranking. He was always on board with a little playful chaos.

What he found odd was Hongjoong’s obsessiveness with Seonghwa that year, it was almost as if when he woke up the first thought in his mind was the Ravenclaw and it was also his last.

Yunho found it rather amusing, as he revealed some time into December of that year, while they were playing Wizarding Chess.

“I swear he was staring at Park throughout the entirety of dinner,” the Gryffindor was saying, shaking his head in amusement.

“It’s the same during class. It’s come to a point where I have to take notes for him,” Mingi told him, rolling his eyes. He moved his knight forward, killing one of Yunho’s peons. The pieces scattered on the board and Yunho wiped them away with a displeased grimace.

“If this carries on the way it does, I fear our Hongjoong might get obsessed.”

Mingi huffed out a laugh. “Isn’t he already?”

“Ah, perhaps,” Yunho said. “But it can get worse… Well, maybe worse isn’t the right word, let’s just say it can turn into something he probably wouldn’t be able to handle.”

Mingi frowned, watching how Yunho’s queen moved forward to protect the king. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, looking up at the Gryffindor.

Yunho smiled. “You know, like, how this fixation can turn into a crush.”

Mingi choked, his eyes widening at the statement. Hongjoong having a crush on Seonghwa? What a joke!

“You can’t possibly mean that.”

“Why not? These kind of shifts can happen easily. He does stare at Seonghwa an unhealthy amount of time, just flat out spacing out.”

He wanted to tell Yunho that he was wrong and that it wasn’t like that, Hongjoong wouldn’t develop a crush on his enemy, who taunted him and irritated him more than anyone else could, but perhaps that was part of it. How Hongjoong had grown so sensibilized towards Seonghwa’s presence, always on the lookout and giving into the teasing that came from the Ravenclaw.

“Are you positive it is a possibility?”

Yunho hummed affirmatively. “I’ve read about it. There are movies about it. It certainly is a possibility.”

“Books, movies… They’re based on cliches and love stories like that hardly are realistic,” he tried to argue.

“Then I suppose our Hongjoong is a cliche,” Yunho said easily.

Migni kept quiet after that, shrugging his shoulders. He didn’t know much about love, how it worked, and if something like falling in love with your enemy was possible. He did not care much for it, not the love Yunho was talking about anyway.

“Isn’t it strange though?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you and Hongjoong were kind of involved, weren’t you?”

“Ah… That clearly didn’t work out. I think we both just wanted to know what it’d be like to kiss someone and thought, why not kiss one another, then, since it was pleasant enough, we decided to date… It wasn’t really exciting—for either of us,” Yunho explained to him with an unbothered shrug. Mingi didn’t really understand, but nodded his head. If it was what they had decided.

“So… You think he wants kiss Seonghwa now?” Mingi asked him anyway, it was an entertaining conversation.

Yunho laughed out loud, drawing the attention of the few other students in the Great Hall onto them. “Merlin, no. The day Hongjoong has the epiphany he might want to kiss Seonghwa, we will know, believe me. He’d freak out!”

“But, why? It’s just a kiss. Just rubbing your lips against someone else’s.”

“It’s much more than that. I might not exactly understand myself, if I’m honest, but I’ve read about it. How it can be beautiful and magical, how you can’t think of anything else when _that_ person is nearby…”

“That person? Hongjoong wasn’t that person for you?”

Yunho shook his head, ordering his knight to take out Mingi’s knight. “He wasn’t that person for me. I sometimes wonder if I will ever find that person, not because they’re not out there, but I just don’t… I don’t necessarily deem it as something important? I don’t know.” He shrugged, looking up at Mingi. “Do you know what I mean?”

He nodded. “Yes, I do not care for these things either.”

“Maybe you’re like me, or you just haven’t found that person, yet.”

“Meh,” was all Mingi said to that, momentarily distracted as he watched the Ravenclaws enter the Great Hall accompanied by Wooyoung and their newest recruit, a second year Slytherin that went by the name of Choi Jongho.

“Have you really not thought about this? About anyone?” Yunho questioned him, drawing his attention back to him and their wizarding chess game.

He shook his head, feeling strange underneath Yunho’s scrutinizing gaze. “No, I haven’t.”

“Will you tell me once you do?”

“Of course!”

Yunho smiled. “Now back to Hongjoong, do you think we should say something to him about this? Make him aware of the possibility?”

“As you said, he’d freak out.”

Yunho nodded his head. “Yes, you’re right. He wouldn’t speak to us if we were to bring up such theory.”

“Who wouldn’t speak to you if you brought up what?” came Hongjoong’s voice out of nowhere, startling them both. He had a scarf wrapped around his neck and a beanie atop his head. He was undressing himself from a rather thick winter coat.

“Oh, were you down by Professor Namjoon’s?” Yunho asked.

“Yes, and you are avoiding my question.” He slid next to Mingi’s seat, watching their board attentively.

“It was nothing important,” Yunho lied to him, his eyes crossing with Mingi’s. “Do you already know if you’ll leave during Christmas?” he asked instead, diverting the attention away from their previous conversation and successfully distracting Hongjoong.

“No, my mom says she isn’t sure yet if she’ll be home, and I don’t want to see my dad… It gets so awkward.”

Yunho hummed. “As I already offered before, you’re more than welcomed to stay at mine. My parents already took in Mingi, they wouldn’t mind having you around. Plus, you’re small! You’ll fit into my bed.”

Hongjoong scoffed. “Don’t call me small.”

“But you are,” Mingi told him. “You’re vertically challenged.”

Hongjoong punched his shoulder lightly. “No, you’re just creepy towers. No one is as tall as you two, I swear by Merlin’s beard,” he muttered, but he wasn’t really angry.

“Someone should have eaten his vegetables,” Yunho said quietly, grinning at Mingi.

It didn’t even take two rounds of exciting Wizarding Chess, until Hongjoong’s eyes shifted away from the board to search the Great Hall, landing—not so accidentally—onto the Ravenclaw table.

“Ugh, look at them,” he said, jerking his chin in their direction.

“What did they do?” Yunho wondered, but he did turn around in his seat.

Mingi looked away from the board as well, eyeing the ground gathered at the Ravenclaw table. Wooyoung was reading from a small booklet, a piece of carton hiding it from the eyes of the other three students. They all had sheets of paper lying in front of them. It was the strange Muggle game they often played, just the four of them, in their free time. Mingi often wondered what exactly it was that they were playing, why they’d choose a Muggle game when they were so many amazing wizarding games. Muggle games always had seemed rather plain and boring to Mingi.

As if he noticed their stares, Yeosang looked up, his gaze wandering around the Great Hall until it halted on them, his amused and entertained expression dropping to give way to a grimace. He turned to his friends, mumbling something, and seconds later Seonghwa and Jongho looked up too. Wooyoung turned around in his seat, sneering at them. Seonghwa just rolled his eyes; Jongho pressed his lips into a thin line, as if he didn’t quite know how to react.

“Blegh, why’s he staring at us?” Hingjoong asked.

“Because we started?” Yunho told him, amused.

Hongjoong groaned, finally looking away and shifting so he blocked them out of his field of vision, placing his head in the palm of his hand. “Well, they didn’t need to look back.”

Mingi parted his lips to say something, but he didn’t know what. Yunho’s argument floated around in his head, like an incessant fly, and he wondered if maybe his friend had been right, as unbelievable as it might have been.

“Come on, it’s your turn Mingi,” Yunho said.

Mingi looked at the chess board, but the figures appeared blurry and unimportant, his mind somewhere else. He told his knight to move and kill Yunho’s queen, who pumped his fist in the air triumphantly.

“You just dug your own grave. Checkmate!”

Mingi watched how his king was completely annihilated. He groaned out, stretching his arms over his head and rolling his head, ignoring Yunho’s little victory dance. Hongjoong was laughing.

“I wanna play next,” he said.

Mingi moved the board towards him. “All yours. My brain’s fried. I can’t wait for Christmas holidays!”

“Me, too.”

As Hongjoong and Yunho began their game, Mingi found his own eyes unexpectedly wandering over to the table of their rivals; Yunho’s words still echoing in his mind.

**~*~**

The first time Mingi thought that Yeosang was more than what met the naked eye, a quiet and shy (pretty) boy, studious and loyal to his friends, was during a Quidditch match in April of their third year, Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw. They were mounted on their brooms, swirling through the sky, with their colorful uniform’s capes fluttering behind them as the wind swooshed by them. The points stood 60 to 90 in favor of Hufflepuff, and Mingi was proud and haughty, smirking when Yeosang flew by him.

“What is it, little Ice King? Having troubles performing well?” he asked tauntingly.

Yeosang shot him an annoyed glance, but didn’t throw a jab back, just kept searching the field for the Golden Snitch.

“There goes Haseul, sending a Bludger in Sooyoung’s direction. She dodges it, _phew_ , that was close!” the commentator—Choi Jongho—said. “Now all three Ravenclaw Chasers are flying towards the Hufflepuff Keeper; will Keonhee halt the ball? He just joined this year, but he seems promising, if his incredible game against Gryffindor is anything to go by!”

Mingi dived towards where he spotted one of the Bludgers flying, aiming his bat in its direction and hitting it hard so sent the ball flying to the Chasers, it missed them by a few meters. Haseul managed to hit it, but it was too late, Sooyoung threw the Quaffle at Keonhee, who intercepted it thankfully, throwing it towards Jungeun. 

Mingi looked around himself, searching for Hongjoong, and found him flying low, chasing after Yeosang, who seemed to have spotted the Golden Snitch. Mingi clenched his jaw, diving low further to stop the Ravenclaw Seeker from catching the small golden ball.

He flew in front of Yeosang, making him slow down until he came to a full stop.

“God damn it, Song!” he cursed, moving his broom so he could fly passed Mingi.

“Whoops, sorry!” Mingi called out cheerfully.

Hongjoong gave him a thumbs up.

“Ah, what a shame, the Ravenclaw Seeker was so close already! I know I’m not supposed to choose sides, but the Ravenclaw team got so many excellent players this year. Their victory against Slytherin was marvelous! And that hurts for me to say, _I am a Slytherin_. If they don’t win the Quidditch Cup this year, I’ll be surprised!” Jongho commented, ignoring the booing that came from the Hufflepuff stands at that.

Mingi rolled his eyes.

The next thing that happened was too quick for him to understand, one moment he was ascending into the air and searching for the Bludger so he could stop one of the Ravenclaw Chasers, a seventh year he didn’t know much about, from getting the Quaffle, and the next he felt something solid hit him strongly in his side.

The Bludger had seemingly come out of nowhere and Mingi’s grip on his broom slipped away, he was falling. Panic filled him and moved his limbs wildly in the hopes of somehow gripping his broom again, but it was to no use, he was falling down onto the ever growing closer green grass below.

“Oh, what’s happening?” Jongho wondered into the mic, his voice loud with excitement and curiosity. “It seems as if Yeosang has abandoned his post as Seeker and instead came to the rescue of Mingi!”

Mingi felt arms coming around him seconds before he was about to collide and, in a mess of limbs, he landed harshly on the hard ground.

“Oof,” Yeosang grumbled, getting up slowly. He dusted himself off, not sparing Mingi a glance.

“Hey, wait!” Mingi called out, not exactly sure what he was hoping for. Yeosang stopped, turning around to look at him, his face carefully blank. “Why did you—?”

But Yeosang shook his head and moved to mount his broom again. He lifted off into the air, his silver and blue cape swirling after him.

Mingi still lay on the ground, staring after him dumbfounded. Had Yeosang just saved his life?

“Has Hufflepuff’s Beater gotten any damage from the fall?” Jongho asked, not a worry in his voice. “Yeosang’s brave act has gotten Mingi quite shocked! If he doesn’t move soon the game will end.”

Mingi scowled, the words galvanized him, and he got him hastily, grabbing his broom to mount it anew. He felt his ears grow hot and his skin prickle, he didn’t like it. He didn’t like to feel as though now he owed Yeosang something; why had he done that? He kept wondering and wondering, distracted as he flew in circles around the field, not really paying attention to the game anymore—his mind was too dazed.

He couldn’t help himself when his eyes followed the Ravenclaw’s Seeker around the Quidditch pitch, wondering why he had saved Mingi, asking himself if it had been just because—if he would have done it for any other student, no matter their house—or if it was more connected to his identity, that Yeosang had saved him because he was _Mingi_. Which begged the question why he would go out of his way to save him? After everything Mingi had made Yeosang go through since the year started.

“It seems that Yeosang has found the trail of the Golden Snitch again, Hongjoong close behind him,” Jongho’s words pulled Mingi out of his spaced out state of mind.

He watched in astonishment how Yeosang chased after the Snitch, his body angled low on his broom, the find pushing his dark hair out of his face, the goggles he wore should look funny, but instead he just looked like the protagonist of one of those sci-fi Muggle movies Yunho had showed Hongjoong and Mingi over the summer.

“He’s done it!” Jongho yelled excitedly. “Kang Yeosang has done it once again! He caught the Golden Snitch, granting Ravenclaw 150 points and finalizing the game. Ravenclaw wins with a total of 210 points!”

Mingi didn’t move for a moment, just staring at the bundle of silver and blue, all throwing themselves on top of Yeosang, who stood at the ground already and was holding the Snitch. He looked surprised and shy, ducking his head at the sudden wave of attention on him.

“For fuck’s sake,” Mingi heard Hongjoong swear. He was flying towards him. “What’s going on with you today, Mingi?” he asked.

Mingi didn’t know himself, he just felt irritated and his skin was hot and suffocating. “I don’t know,” he shot back.

“Why did Kang—”

“ _Don’t_. I’m not in the mood,” he said brusquely and landed. He got off his broom hastily and walked away, to the dressing rooms. He needed a shower and possibly not see any humans for the next few hours.

This time it wasn’t even his curse speaking, he just felt annoyed with Yeosang, disappointed in himself, and so incredibly angry.

Things didn’t go according to Mingi, obviously—when did they ever—and when he walked out of the showers, later than his Hufflepuff peers, he stopped the moment he spotted Wooyoung and Yeosang looming around the Ravenclaw changing rooms, their heads pulled together as they spoke to one another quietly.

He scowled and sped up his steps, rushing by them in the hopes they didn’t speak to him.

“Ah, Song!” Wooyoung said loudly. “The clumsy flyer himself. Say, what did it feel like to be saved by Yeosang?” he asked, smirking when Mingi stopped in his tracks.

“Shut your mouth, Jeong,” Mingi hissed, turning around slowly.

Yeosang was changed into a pair of sweatpants and oversized hoodie, the golden bird he always wore dangled over the hoodie. He was eating some candy that Wooyoung most likely had given him. Wooyoung was dressed in some washed out jeans and leather jacket, two Ravenclaw scarves wrapped around his neck— _unnecessarily supportive_ , was all Mingi could think about that.

“You should thank Yeosang.”

“You wish, little Ice King,” Mingi hissed, eyes focusing on the Ravenclaw, whose face was blank as ever, but the corner of his lips were quirking up into a hint of a smirk. It irritated Mingi to no end.

“Woo is right, I _did_ save you out there.”

“What do you want me to say, huh? Oh, gracious and brave Kang Yeosang, thank you catching me when I was falling?” he asked, keeping his tone mocking.

“That would be a start, but personally I think you should kneel in front of him and say something a bit more original; don’t you think, Yeo?”

“Shut up, you traitorous lion!” 

Wooyoung’s smirk slipped off of his face and a look of hurt flashed through his face, he opened and closed his mouth as he tried to think of what to say. Mingi felt a bit bad about his words, it was something even him and Hongjoong tried not to bring up when they taunted Wooyoung. It was like an unspoken rule, not to bring up Wooyoung’s past, just like they didn’t make fun of Seonghwa for being a Muggle born—the word _mudblood_ never falling off of their lips.

But Mingi had been so incredibly annoyed and disappointed that he hadn’t thought about it. Usually Hongjoong was there with him, to deal with all the verbal insults—or even Yunho, who’d have a calming presence on Mingi.

“Take that back,” Yeosang demanded, his voice so incredibly cold, his gaze were like ice when Mingi returned.

“I—” he began, swallowing anxiously.

“Don’t bother,” Wooyoung told him, sniffing, and he moved to grab the sleeve of Yesoang’s hoodie. “Let’s go, before I break his nose.”

Yeosang hummed, shooting one dark look in Mingi’s direction.

And so the Ice King and the traitorous lion left the cursed Hufflepuff to stand behind, alone next to the huge and now empty Quidditch field, as he let guilt eat him away.


	13. The Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is considerably shorter than the others as it is more of a filler in, still, I hope you enjoy it! ^^

The morning was still dark.

The sky was a dark blue and the moon was hanging low over the Great Lake, reflected in the still waters. The snow rested over the castle’s grounds, taking away the liveliness of all sounds, and making Seonghwa believe he was still half in a dream.

Maybe this whole night had been a dream, with how surreal it had been.

His friends were a few feet ahead, while he lingered back by Hongjoong’s side. He wasn’t really sure why, but somehow he didn’t want to leave him behind. He blamed it on his sleepy brain. Anything that were yet to happen would be blamed onto the fact that he had only slept for around an hour, right before the crack of dawn.

Hongjoong didn’t look much better, his skin was pale and there were dark circles underneath his eyes. His gray hair hung flat over his forehead, a few strands in the back standing up. Seonghwa looked away quickly.

Now that he had more or less accepted his new feelings for the Hufflepuff Prefect, there was an uncharted territory opening up in front of him. Something dangerous. When he had awoken Hongjoong about half an hour ago, his fingers had tingled with the need to pass his hands through Hongjoong’s hair, smoothen it down and untangle the mess it had come throughout the night. He had felt a desire deep in his heart to just sit there and watch the other sleep, as creepy as it sounded.

His world had been spun completely around. 

What once had been his constant need to mess with the Hufflepuff, irritate him and throw spells at him, had then turned into wanting his attention placed solely on Seonghwa, and now it was slowly transforming into just _wanting_ Hongjoong.

He blamed it on his lack of sleep when he glanced down at their hands, swinging by their bodies, only centimeters apart, and wished that they would brush together. The longing to just touch Hongjoong’s was absolutely crazy.

Seonghwa swallowed, mulling over this one, tiny idea. It seemed so huge in his mind, like a tsunami rising high and crashing down, and without giving it too much thought, he slowly inched his hand closer to the other’s. 

It was only his pinky finger gracing ever so slightly Hongjoong’s, but Seonghwa’s heart went into overdrive, making him dizzy, his breath hitched.

The Hufflepuff removed his hand quickly, as if he was disgusted by it.

“Sorry,” Seonghwa mumbled out, trying hard not to feel too disappointed. He was so stupid, of coruse Hongjoong wouldn’t feel the same, of course he’d be grossed out by it. They were supposed to hate each other.

Seonghwa moved his fingers slowly, trying to subside the fire that was spreading out from them and enveloping his whole being, but there was no point. He could feel himself blush wholly, his face burning.

The five boys wandered to the bushes where the corridor to the third floor was hidden, entering the narrow entrance one by one, their wands in front of them, glowing with the _Lumos_ spell. They walked in silence, all of them tired. Hongjoong was the first one to reach the castle, climbing through the exit.

Seonghwa was a few feet behind him, about to follow, when he heard Yunho’s voice. He stopped, motioning at his friends to stay quiet.

“Hongjoong!” Yunho said relieved. “When I left Mingi in the Hufflepuff dorm and didn’t find you there I grew worried. I was about to head out and see where you were. Thankfully the _Wolfsbane_ potion Mingi took was enough to—” 

“Yunho!” Hongjoong interrupted him urgently. “We’re not alone,” he added in explanation, but the damage had been done.

The silence that followed was deafening. Seonghwa swallowed, slowly moving again to exit the secret passage. Yunho stared at him with wide eyes, a terrified expression crossing his face. He had his lips parted but no sound came out.

Wooyoung, Yeosang, and Jongho followed Seonghwa out, muttering _Nox_ under their breaths to shut the light of their wands off. They all had perplexed and curious looks on their faces, having heard Yunho’s revelation.

Yeosang was the first to speak. “Mingi is a… werewolf?”

Hongjoong and Yunho exchange a distressed look, the latter sighed in a resigned matter.

“I guess there’s no point in denying it anymore,” Hongjoong muttered.

“Holy shit,” Jongho let out.

“I-I don’t—” Yunho stuttered, worrying his bottom lip. The apprehension radiating off of him was almost contagious, Seonghwa could feel it grow within him.

He wanted to say something, but he wasn’t sure what there was for him to say. Should he go for reassuring words, that they wouldn’t discuss this, but that was a lie. He knew that the moment they were alone, they would immediately talk about Mingi. He wasn’t sure, yet, to what extent this would affect them, but it would, that was for sure.

“For how long has he been a werewolf?” Wooyoung asked, finally regaining his voice after the shock.

Hongjoong sighed, a frown forming on his face, but Yunho reached out his hand to let it rest soothingly on his shoulder.

“He was bitten when he was eight,” Yunho answered. Hongjoong huffed out an annoyed breath, not enjoying that they were speaking of Mingi without him present.

“Do the professors know?” Yeosang wondered.

Yunho and Hongjoong shook their heads.

“Does he—” Wooyoung was already formulating another question.

“Okay, that’s enough!” Hongjoong cut him off. “If you have any questions, ask Mingi directly, although I doubt he would answer you.”

Wooyoung squinted his eyes, but he kept quiet.

“It’s getting late—or well, _early_ ,” Yunho said, chuckling nervously. “I think we all should head to bed and just… forget this, yes?”

Jongho nodded, still rendered speechless by this revelation. He glanced at his friends, waiting for them to take a decision. Wooyoung let out a sigh, one of his arms coming around Yeosang’s shoulder, the other around Jongho’s.

“All right, come on,” the Gryffindor mumbled, dragging them with him. He nodded at Seonghwa to follow, but Hongjoong stopped him.

“Wait! Park, a word?” The Hufflepuff jerked his chin towards the bathroom down the corridor.

“Of course.” Seonghwa waved his friends off. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yunho, you can leave, too,” Hongjoong told his friend, who was watching them nervously. 

“Are you sure?” Yunho inquired.

“Yes. I won’t—It’ll be alright, I just want to talk with him about this. Make sure he doesn’t blabber—”

“I’m _right_ here,” Seonghwa complained, scoffing.

With a nod of his head, Yunho walked towards the opposite direction, where Wooyoung, Jongho, and Yeosang were already ascending the stairs, probably all of them sleeping over at the Gryffindor Tower as Wooyoung was the only fifth year boy staying at Hogwarts during the holidays that year.

Hongjoong grabbed Seonghwa’s wrist and dragged him to the bathroom. It reminded Seonghwa of that time, months ago, when he had dragged the Hufflepuff with him. How things had changed since then… Even if it wasn’t the right moment or atmosphere, his heart fluttered in his chest when Hongjoong pushed him inside the room ungracefully. 

A thrill ran through Seonghwa. He swallowed and glanced around the bathroom instead. Without San lingering in it it looked abandoned and sad. He wondered what their friend was up to these days, having distanced himself from them and dealing with the problem alone. He still hadn’t asked them for help or explained why he believed Jongho might be in the center of the Dark Magic attacks.

He shook himself out of it, that was a question for another day.

“What do you want?” he finally asked the Hufflepuff.

“Please, don’t tell anyone about Mingi,” Hongjoong asked of him. He looked so small and vulnerable. Not like his usual fierce and demanding self, nothing like what Seonghwa had expected.

“And why would I do that?” Seonghwa wondered. He wasn’t sure why he was taunting Hongjoong like this. 

There was no need to, really, he would never do something as fucked up as telling Mingi’s secret around Hogwarts. Even if he was Muggle-born, he knew how badly werewolves were still treated in the wizarding community. All the old men that had reigned the Ministry twenty years ago still did, they might not be followers of the Dark Lord, but prejudice like that never rested.

“Because you care, Seonghwa!” Hongjoong snapped, eyes ablaze. “You care so much, it might be your Achilles Heel.” He drew back, surprised by the intense tone in his own voice. “You cared when you decided to take the same classes as Kang so he has someone to ask the question he can’t; you cared when you confronted the Gryffindors and Slytherins that bullied Wooyoung; and you cared when—” He took a staggering breath, running a hand through his tousled gray hair. He looked resigned about what he was about to say, glancing away from Seonghwa. “When you let me win the duel in our first year,” he finished quietly.

Seonghwa blinked, surprised. “You knew about that?”

“I did. I discovered it during our second year,” he revealed bitterly, but he did smile. “So please, I’m asking you, keep Mingi’s secret safe.”

It was silent after the Hufflepuff repeated his demand; somewhere there must have been an opened window because the sudden hail that was falling sounded a tenfold louder. There was a tension in between them, different than the one that just begged to be cut with jabs and mockery. This one held something precious—preciously fragile. 

Hongjoong’s request was vulnerable, he was nearly _begging_ Seonghwa to keep his friend’s big, scary secret in the darkness. It could ruin Mingi’s life were it to be exposed indiscreetly.

Seonghwa, of course, would never do such a thing, but Hongjoong still believed he would.

“All right. I will keep Song’s secret safe,” he promised.

Hongjoong tilted his head. “What? So easily?”

“Yes. I suppose, though, if necessary—if it makes you feel better—you can owe me a favor.”

Hongjoong balled his hands into fists, clenching them tightly. He exhaled slowly, searching Seonghwa’s face to see if he was being honest or not.

“Okay,” he finally muttered. “Thank you.” He turned around, about to leave the Prefect Bathroom, but Seonghwa held him back, grabbing his wrist loosely.

“Wait,” he said, his heart was beating wildly in his chest. “I wanted to thank you.”

Hongjoong’s eyebrows shot up, disappearing underneath his hair. “What for?”

“For saving our lives tonight. We were reckless and dumb for following you, especially after hearing the werewolf’s—Song’s howl.”

Hongjoong was quiet, just watching him attentively. It was unnerving. Seonghwa didn’t like to feel so exposed, and he felt himself blush due to the intensity of Hongjoong’s gaze on him. He had thought that after all this time he would be used to it, but after his recent personal revelation, having Hongjoong stare at him like this was exciting and terrifying in equal amounts.

He swallowed. “I really mean it. Thank you, Hongjoong.”

The Hufflepuff shrugged, finally looking away, but Seonghwa did see that his cheeks were turning pink.

“Well… I hope you learned from this,” he mumbled. “And of course, I would have saved you. We might be rivals, but I wouldn’t want you to die. I don’t think I could—” He stopped himself, flinching. He looked warily at Seonghwa, gauging his reaction, and sighed in relief when the Ravenclaw’s expression didn’t change. “How about we call it even? I saved your life, you keep Mingi’s secret safe?”

Seonghwa nodded. “Seems fair to me.”

“Good, then—I’ll be going to bed,” Hongjoong said, walking to the door of the bathroom. “Good night, Park.”

“Good night, Kim.”

When the door fell shut, Seonghwa let out a long and heavy sigh, he crouched down, leaning against the wall, and replayed the night’s events in his mind.

“ _Holy shit_ ,” he mumbled to himself.

Outside, the sun was peeking over the hills and the Forbidden Forest, now it no longer was an unknown territory—at least not like it had been until then. That night Seonghwa and his friends had learned something new and valuable, something that in the long run would change and define their lives forever.


	14. A Jolly, Bloody Holiday

The past Christmases that Seonghwa had experienced had been very diverse. In his first year, naturally he had gone home; in his second year, he had spent it at Wooyoung’s house—with his aunt and their two cats—and then in his third year, he gone to Jongho’s—his parents were so incredibly welcoming and his uncle was a hilarious man to be around. This year was only his second time staying in Hogwarts during the holidays.

It was late already when he entered the Great Hall with Wooyoung, Jongho, and Yeosang, most of the students already had finished their breakfast, like the professors, so it was pleasantly empty when they sat down on the single table that was put in the middle of the room. It often happened that the amount of people that stayed in the castle was so small that only one table was necessary, the division between houses not existing during the holidays.

Seonghwa’s shoulders flinched when he saw Yunho beckoning them over towards him and Hongjoong. Mingi was absent. Seonghwa wondered then if he always had been after a full moon—to rest—but he couldn’t really recall ever having paid much attention to it. He never had paid much attention to the full moon seasons.

“Do we, uh, sit with them?” he asked his friends, the four of them having stopped the moment they had spotted the tall Gryffindor.

“I don’t know,” answered Wooyoung. His skin was pale and he had bags under his eyes, his glasses perched on his nose, hiding the mole underneath his eye. Even if he had showered, he still looked pretty much like a corpse. “This is kinda weird.”

“I say we do,” Jongho interjected, shrugging. “What’s the worst that could happen?” He walked over to the tall Gryffindor and tiny Hufflepuff.

“Well, that settles it.” Wooyoung followed him.

Seonghwa and Yeosang stayed back, hesitant.

“Are you okay?” Seonghwa asked his friend. They still hadn’t talked about Yeosang behaving so strangely for the past days, even if he was back to his usual self, Seonghwa still wanted to address it.

“I am,” Yeosang assured him. A small smile bloomed on his face. “You don’t have to worry. I really am okay.”

“Will you tell me what I did to make you so upset?”

Yeosang sighed. “You didn’t upset me. I—This is something that I have to deal with, but maybe one day I’ll tell you, when I feel ready.”

“Okay.”

With that they walked over to the other boys, sitting down on the bench. The air in between them was awkward and laden with tension.

Keonhee eyed them curiously. “Well, this is something I never thought I’d see,” he said, grinning. 

“Wait until Changbin sees this, he will freak out,” Hwang Hyunjin said, a 4th year Gryffindor, who was very close to the notorious Ravenclaw Beater. “He’s constantly talking about you two,” he pointed at the Prefects. “If I didn’t know better, I would think he has a crush on at least one of you.”

Hongjoong choked on the orange juice he was drinking. Yunho wrinkled his forehead and exchanged a peculiar look with Jongho. Seonghwa pulled a face, eyeing Hyunjin warily.

“When I hang out with him he doesn’t shut up about you though,” he pointed out.

The Gryffindor shrugged. “Can you blame him?”

“Gross,” piped up a 4th year Hufflepuff that Seonghwa recalled being named Han Jisung. “I will not sit here and listen to this.”

“Then leave,” Hyunjin said cheerfully.

“You said you’d practice with me,” Jisung complained.

Seonghwa tuned their bickering out, concentrating on the fig flavored confiture toast he was making himself. They reminded him a bit of Wooyoung and Jongho, and that was already enough bickering for him.

The minutes passed and the awkwardness in between the boys grew until they were sitting alone, only a group of Slytherin and Gryffindor girls was sitting by the far end of the table, out of their hearing range. Professor Lee and Professor Chae were sitting together with Headmistress Min, discussing something quietly.

It probably wasn’t the safest place to talk about the previous night’s adventure, so Seonghwa leaned forward when he whispered, “How is Mingi feeling?”

Hongjoong looked at him, searching his face. He clearly hadn’t expected the question. Yeosang, Wooyoung, and Jongho stared at Mingi’s friends in expectation.

Yunho cleared his throat. “He’s fine. Like he always is after a full moon.”

“Which means?” Wooyoung inquired.

“Tired and irritated,” Yunho clarified, a small smile making its way onto his face. “Is this a truce I see?”

All eyes were on Seonghwa and Hongjoong, the latter was stabbing the sausage on his plate, not acknowledging that he was being stared at. Seonghwa let out a sigh, looking back at his friends and Yunho.

“I guess it is,” he admitted. Hongjoong’s head snapped up, his eyes meeting Seonghwa’s. It was a short staring contest. Seonghwa could feel the burn in his cheeks and the sweat forming on his lower back, his skin felt like it was on fire, so he looked away quickly. He wondered briefly what would’ve happened if they were to be alone. “I haven’t really been—For a while, I have been thinking about creating a truce, I don’t really feel that motivated anymore to,” he gestured between himself and Hongjoong, hoping it explained things.

“You have?” asked the Hufflepuff Prefect, his eyebrows raising. The look in his eyes demanded Seonghwa’s attention on him, as if he wanted to communicate something to him. “Why’s that?”

“Things have… changed for me,” was all Seonghwa said to that. He could feel Jongho’s eyes on him.

“I, for one, welcome a truce,” Yunho said, a pleased smile on his face. “It was becoming tiring.”

Wooyoung sighed. “I’ll miss it.”

“Of course you will,” Jongho muttered, dodging Wooyoung’s attempt at elbowing him. “What are your thoughts?” he addressed Yeosang.

The Ravenclaw blinked, distracted as he had been quietly eating his cereals. He swallowed the food. “Well, I’m not really sure. I am surprised. I thought that lately things were rather escalating…”

Yunho hummed noncommittally.

“I’ll be honest, this is really weird,” Hongjoong said earnestly. Again he looked at Seonghwa, expecting something from him. Seonghwa didn’t know what that would be.

“Just because it’s a truce it doesn’t mean we have to be friends,” Seonghwa said slowly.

“Honestly,” Yunho began, “I don’t actually dislike you guys.”

Jongho nodded his head. “Me neither,” he confessed. Wooyoung shot him a betrayed look. Even Yeosang seemed surprised at that admission. “I-I mean, I did get annoyed by some pranks and I was irritated when my friends were hurt, but… That, uh, _hate_ was never really there. I love playing pranks and cause havoc, so I suppose that was part of the charm.”

“No wonder Jungkook speaks so highly of you,” Hongjoong muttered, his the corners of his lips twitching up. Jongho clutched his heart dramatically. “Speaking of ghosts, where’s your friend? Choi San?”

Silence befell them, Wooyoung awkwardly scratched his neck. “He is busy.”

“Did you tell your friends about, you know, what we found?” Seonghwa subtly addressed Hongjoong.

The Hufflepuff nodded his head. “You didn’t listen to me, so I told them. Seemed fair to me at the time.”

Seonghwa shrugged. He supposed Hongjoong was right. 

He went back to eating his toast, the atmosphere was extremely strange. Not just to be having a friendly conversation with Hongjoong, but sitting with him and having breakfast, he would have never thought for this to happen. He always had supposed their rivalry would follow them out of Hogwarts and into their adult lives.

But then Seonghwa had begun to crush on Hongjoong, changing the way he thought and the way he acted, making him want to drop this hate act altogether and build up something else. Find a new territory for them to exist on. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself and in a month—or even in a few days—they could fall back to their previous antics, the whisper in his heart and the fire on his skin completely forgotten by then.

There was no sure way for him to tell what the evolution of this was going to be. It was terrifying. Seonghwa liked to be able to control things and know what was ahead. This was the complete opposite from his comfort zone; but that was how the matters of the heart worked, wasn’t it? Unpredictable and uncontrollable.

“Before this tranquil atmosphere gets ruined, how about we go outside after breakfast for a snowball fight?” Yunho spoke up again, trying his best in uniting the groups. “Maybe Mingi will be fine by then and even San could join, despite being a ghost, he can hex the balls.”

Seonghwa looked at his friends with a questioning look. Jongho seemed on board, Wooyoung surprisingly too. Only Yeosang appeared to be still hesitant.

“Alright,” Hongjoong agreed. “We could make teams of four.”

“We could mix our groups up a bit, test the boundaries of this new truce,” Yunho proposed.

“Now you’re just asking for something to happen,” Wooyoung muttered, but he did smile mischievously. “Seonghwa and Hongjoong should be in the same team. I will give my 60 Galleons for that to happen.”

“No way!” Hongjoong sputtered, whereas Seonghwa said, “Alright, hand me that money.”

“Interesting,” Jongho commented, smirking in Seonghwa’s direction.

“It is.” Yunho nodded his head.

“I guess, it could be fun,” Yeosang finally said.

**~*~**

Almost an hour later, the eight of them reunited in the school’s grounds, dressed in thick winter coats and their houses scarves tightly wrapped around their faces—with the exception of San.

Mingi looked tired, but aside from the bags under his eyes, there wasn’t anything different about him, his usual impassive expression still on his face. He did eye them peculiarly, but his thoughts regarding the truce were hard to unravel, or how affected he was about the fact that they knew his secret. 

Then there was San, smiling radiantly and talking non stop with Wooyoung, but whatever was worrying him was still visible on him. He looked less human and more like a ghost, and maybe Wooyoung had been right about his worries of losing him. Seonghwa hoped that soon he’d ask them for help because if not he would find a way to interfere anyway and get San to talk.

Yunho ended up taking the lead when it came to the teams, he was the least awkward one out of them all, followed by Jongho.

Seonghwa groaned when he was put in the same team as Hongjoong. His other teammates were Yunho and Jongho. Wooyoung and San looked delighted to be in the same team, pretending to high five one another. Yeosang looked appalled, he glanced up at Mingi, who was still rather expressionless.

They dispersed around the grounds, on guard, Yunho beckoned them over to discuss tactics.

“All right, I think everyone will thank me for this,” he started. “You two,” he said pointing at the Prefects, “go to the left and hide by the bushes. Jongho and I will take the other side.”

“I hate you,” Hongjoong muttered.

“You don’t.” Yunho smiled happily, enjoying his friend’s suffering. “Watch out for Mingi, he throws some mean snowballs.”

“I’ll take that tall fucker out!” Jongho promised, cracking his knuckles.

Yunho eyed him warily. “He scares me.”

Jongho hummed pleased. “Good.” 

“He is actually a softie,” Seonghwa promised the Gryffindor.

“Don’t believe him, I’m tough!”

“You’re fourteen.”

“Shut up!”

Seonghwa laughed at Jongho’s pout.

Yunho had a smile on his face and even Hongjoong initial frown was almost gone.

“Let’s get into position,” the tall Gryffindor said, galvanizing the group.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa walked towards the bushes. Seonghwa had his hands buried in his coat’s pockets, but he did shoot the occasional glance at the Hufflepuff. Hongjoong had his eyes strained on the ground, his shoulders tense.

“We, uh, don’t have to talk,” Seonghwa said tentatively.

Hongjoong shrugged, not looking at him. “Well, if our groups actually end up merging together, we should at least be on a friendly basis, don’t you think?”

“I suppose you are right,” Seonghwa agreed. “Ugh, this is weird.”

Hongjoong laughed. “Yeah, it is. I agree with what you said earlier though. I was also a bit unmotivated lately to keep this-this rivalry up. It was going nowhere and it made me question why we were still upholding it. I think we’ve reached an age where we could just ignore one another.”

Seonghwa swallowed, ignoring how these words disappointed him. “Yes, we could ignore each other,” he echoed.

Hongjoong suddenly grabbed his elbow, pulling Seonghwa with him. A snowball whooshed past them, missing Seonghwa’s head by a few centimeters. San stood in the distance, his wand raised. He grinned at them, waving his hand at Seonghwa.

“Fucker,” he muttered, already forming a snowball to throw back at the ghost, even if it would pass right through him. The sentiment still counted.

Hongjoong threw a snowball, it landed a few feet in front of San, who let out a loud laugh. Wooyoung was somewhere nearby, doing a shimmying dance as he taunted the Prefects. Seonghwa managed to grace the Slytherin’s shoulder, who clutched it as if he had felt the impact. Hongjoong set off several snowballs through magic, making the Gryffindor and Slytherin run away, their shrieking laughter disappearing with them.

Hongjoong looked proud about his attack. He smiled in Seonghwa’s direction, which was fatal. Seonghwa ducked his head, wanting to walk further towards the bushes so they could hide behind them. He cursed under his breath when he slipped on the ice. 

Seonghwa flailed his arms in the air, reaching out his hand to grab the nearest thing he could, which happened to be the Hufflepuff Prefect’s scarf. As Seonghwa went down, his butt landing on the snow, he dragged Hongjoong with him. In an uncoordinated and entangled mess the Hufflepuff ended up falling on top of the Ravenclaw. 

Hongjoong was propped up on his elbows, one of them digging into Seonghwa’s waist, but he only registered the pain in the back of his head, far away and mildly uncomfortable. All of his attention was on Hongjoong’s face, which was only centimeters away from his own. 

From up close, he could see the different colors in Hongjoong’s brown eyes. His pronounced eyebrows were pulled up in surprise and his pink lips were parted as he struggled to find his words.

Seonghwa’s mind went blank, a little chant forming in the back of his head that only repeated one word. 

He could feel Hongjoong’s breath fan over his face, it was hot and smelled of toothpaste, which shouldn’t be as alluring as it was. Seonghwa couldn’t help himself when his eyes travelled down to stare at the Hufflepuff’s lips—that chant became a tumble of words. 

He swallowed. His heart was beating fast and he knew his face was already red, his entire body felt flushed and hot despite that he was lying in the cold snow. 

Hongjoong didn’t move, he only stared down at Seonghwa, a struck expression on his face. It was pleasant and relieving to see that there was a pink blush growing on Hongjoong’s cheeks and the usual fierce and sure ways were entirely gone from his face. He looked nervous and scared; his eyes were searching Seonghwa’s face. Every time they passed by or, god forbid, stopped on Seonghwa’s lips, it made his heartbeat double in its speed. It was almost painful and Seonghwa feared he might choke on his next words with how crazy it was driving him to have Hongjoong this close to himself.

A bubble spread over them and for a moment it was just them in the snow, their friends and the other students lingering around were all gone. They weren’t at Hogwarts, they weren’t part of this world anymore, and only existed in a place that belonged to them.

Seonghwa’s hands were lying in the snow, he grabbed a handful to somehow ground himself and stop his mind from flying away into the clouds. He would end up doing something very reckless and stupid if he allowed his brain to abandon him.

He cursed inwardly, hating that he had stopped being in denial about these feelings, because if he still was he would easily push Hongjoong off and hex him—or do something along those lines—but that wasn’t anymore how he wanted this to go. In all honesty, Seonghwa didn’t know how he wanted this moment to end, where he wanted it to go. 

The possibilities were endless and unexplored and terrifying.

Hongjoong’s face was blank, but his eyes were no longer searching, they were fixated on Seonghwa’s lips. His gaze was intense and it sent shivers up and down Seonghwa’s spine, electrifying and making his heart gallop in his chest in a never ending race. His mind was spinning and his breathing was loud and labored, as if he had run a marathon.

But it was all just Hongjoong’s doing.

Those beautiful piercing brown eyes setting off a flame in Seonghwa’s soul; there was no coming back from it. Not anymore. If Seonghwa had begrudgingly accepted that he had some sort of crush on Hongjoong, it was more than verified now. 

Hongjoong looked into his eyes, holding a calculative look, and whatever it was that he seemed to be looking for he must have found it. With determination he leaned forward. 

Seonghwa breath hitched and he dug his fingers deeper into the snow. He swallowed again, his throat tightening. This was maddening. Hongjoong licked his lips and Seonghwa chased the movement.

 _Just kiss me,_ he thought.

A snowball flew through the gray sky and crashed onto Hongjoong’s shoulder, making him snap out of his trance. The Hufflepuff shot one last, wide eyed look at Seonghwa before he stood up hastily, elbowing Seonghwa harshly. He dusted off the remnants of snow on his clothes and stepped away. His cheeks were nearly the same tone as the red hair he had sported months ago.

Seonghwa needed a moment to calm himself down. His mind was still in shambles and his entire being felt as if it was on fire, sparks flying from his head to his toes, his tummy was a cage for the wildest and most aggressive butterflies. 

_What the fuck,_ he thought bewildered; had he nearly just kissed Hongjoong? _And for everyone to see too._ He grimaced at himself.

“Gotcha!” Wooyoung exclaimed victoriously, he already held another snowball in his hand. He aimed it at Seonghwa. “Now it’s your turn!” He grinned and pointed his index finger at him, but he let it dropped the moment he caught the look on his friend’s face. “Are you okay?” he wondered.

“Splendid,” Seonghwa muttered embarrassed. 

San approached them. He stood by Wooyoung’s side, tilting his head curiously. He searched Seonghwa’s face, who finally had mustered up the energy and will to get up, and then his cat like eyes flitted over to Hongjoong, who had his back half turned to them, but his red ears were visible.

“What happened to them?” San inquired.

“I don’t know,” Wooyoung answered, his gaze just as inquisitive. “I think they were fighting again.”

“Nothing new then,” San said. “Were you fighting?”

“Yes!” Hongjoong said loudly—too loudly. Seonghwa rolled his eyes; _great_ , he was going to get them busted. “Don’t tell Yunho, he’ll pout for days and I hate that.”

Wooyoung eyed him suspiciously, but nodded his head. “Sure…”

The rest of the group emerged, covered in snow, their noses red, sniffling dramatically.

“I’ve had enough!” complained Yeosang, he had his arms crossed in front of his chest. Mingi stood next to him, a grin spreading across his face. He looked much better than before. “Mingi keeps trying to rub snow into my face.”

“Well, you’re fun to mess with.” The tall Hufflepuff shrugged nonchalantly.

“I hate you.”

“I am starving,” Jongho commented.

“We ate like two hours ago,” Yunho said.

“I am a growing boy.”

“Are you sure about that?” Mingi teased him. Jongho jabbed him, to which Yeosang let out delighted laughter.

Seonghwa rubbed his temples, his fingers felt like ice, his face was still rather hot, he just hoped his blush had subsided. He didn’t need Wooyoung and San prying on him about what had happened. He already felt mortified enough. He would tell them in due time.

“Do we head back into the castle?” Seonghwa inquired.

“We should,” Hongjoong agreed, not looking at him. “I need some peace and quiet.”

“Me, too.”

“I’ll stay out some more with San,” Wooyoung said, his cheeks turning a lovely pink. San nodded his head smiling.

Jongho helped Seonghwa up, giving him a questioning look, asking quietly if everything was all right. Seonghwa nodded his head. He’d tell him about it later, once his heart had calmed down.

They began walking up to the castle, most of the group chatting animatedly, even Yeosang and Mingi were holding a civil conversation, but the Prefects were quiet and avoided one another. Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong, curiously and wondering, and found him staring back.

Both looked away quickly.

This was going to be a nightmare, Seonghwa decided.

**~*~**

They found themselves in the Ravenclaw Tower, nestled on the couch in front of the fire. They still had a couple of hours before dinner and although the snowball fight had gone relatively well, they had agreed that they needed a break from the Hufflepuffs and Yunho. 

“Jongho,” Yeosang called out sleepily. “Didn’t you want to talk about something with us?” he asked. 

They had spent the past couple of minutes just dozing off, warming up after spending so much time in the cold.

Jongho shifted from where he lay cuddled to Yeosang’s side. He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t even remember what it was about,” he said.

Seonghwa glanced at him, the way he nibbled nervously on his bottom lip and had his eyes fixed on the fire, he knew his friend was lying, but he didn’t know how to coerce him into opening up. He didn’t want to push him, not when he was already so far away from them.

“Are you sure?” Yeosang asked.

“Yes, don’t worry,” Jongho reassured him.

The door to the Ravenclaw Tower opened and in came Wooyoung with San in tow. The former looked tired, his nose and cheeks pink due to the cold, his black hair moist and decorated with snowflakes. San held a bit of an annoyed look on his face, nearly completely see through. It concerned Seonghwa.

There were too many things for him to worry about. He had no idea how to deal with this. Why didn’t his friends speak to him anymore? Did Wooyoung hide secrets as well? He hated it.

Wooyoung walked up to the couch, letting himself drop onto it, nearly crushing Seonghwa. He shivered.

“It’s so _fucking_ cold,” he muttered, taking off his coat and letting it fall on the ground. “Please spare me some warmth.” Seonghwa hugged him, patting his back. “Thank you.”

San stood awkwardly by the door, watching them with a sad and nostalgic look. When he noticed Seonghwa looking at him, his gaze dropped and he played with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

“Wooyoung told me about Mingi… What a revelation, huh?” he said, not moving away from the common room’s entrance. “I wouldn’t have expected that.”

“Pretty sure none of us did…” Jongho said.

San came closer, lingering near the sofa. His gaze was inquisitive. “Are you not shocked? Appalled? You are all acting rather calmly.”

“Oh, we did freak out, believe me, but we talked about it in the _Shrieking Shack_ and before going to sleep,” Seonghwa told him. “We came to the conclusion that, although werewolves can be dangerous, we’ve known Mingi for years and he has never killed anyone—”

“You don’t know that,” San interrupted him.

“We want to believe he hasn’t,” Wooyoung said, tone sharp. San recoiled, hurt flashing through his face. If Seonghwa hadn’t been sure before, he was now certain they had fought.

“We have decided, regardless of how this truce develops, we won’t use Mingi’s lycanthropy against him and we won’t be afraid of him,” Yeosang explained.

The fire cackled, a log moving. San shuffled even closer to them, he looked strangely like an outsider, as if he didn’t belong to them anymore. Seonghwa wondered when this had happened.

“So you’re just going to accept him?” the ghost asked.

Wooyoung scoffed. “Why are you so against him?”

“Sorry, I just—I have other experiences with werewolves. I was—” he stopped himself, awkwardly standing in the common room. In the darkness, with only the fire as a light source, he was nearly invisible. “Never mind,” he mumbled.

“You’ve met other werewolves?” Seonghwa asked when no one made an effort to carry the conversation. His heart ached for San and the distance that was opening in between the ghost and the living, but if the Slytherin was going to keep his secrets the chasm would only grow.

“Yes, before my death,” San explained, his face clouded with a troubled expression. “It wasn’t the greatest experience.” He laughed hollowly. The way he looked was terrifying. Wooyoung was looking at him, a deep frown between his brows, but he didn’t say anything. “I hope that Mingi isn’t like the werewolf I met, I really do.”

“I doubt Hongjoong and Yunho would hang out with a murderer,” Jongho commented after a while. “We might not know them that well, but…”

San’s gaze was intense when it landed on Jongho, there was something haunted in the depths of his pupils, a secret so hidden that it was visibly ruining San. Seonghwa never had noticed until then. “Sometimes even good people are pushed towards murder,” he said, ominously and scarily.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Wooyoung finally spoke up, sitting up straight and staring at San, his eyes were wide with concern and something else—fear.

“Nothing,” San muttered, panicked. “I’ve—I should go.” He vanished quickly, passing through the wall, not even bothering to pretend that once had been a human like he usually did.

“What the fuck,” Wooyoung muttered, looking at his friends. “Is it just me or did that sound as if he’s—I mean, I could be wrong, but did he just imply he murdered someone?” He swallowed, his voice quiet and frightened.

Jongho stayed quiet, watching the fire with an unusual troubled look, worrying his bottom lip.

“It’s not just you,” Yeosang said, grimly. “We need to speak to him soon, this can’t carry on like it has.”

“I agree.” Seonghwa nodded his head. “And I think Wooyoung was right, it does seem like he’s disappearing on us.”

**~*~**

It was late at night, the festive Christmas dinner long behind them, and they had just exchanged their gifts as was tradition, huddled together in the Slytherin Common Room as it was conveniently empty. Even if it was in the Dungeons, beneath the Great Lake, during the Christmas season it radiated a warmth that shouldn’t be possible for a place like it, with the cold stone walls and the lack of windows to filter the sunlight through.

Seonghwa and his friends sat in a circle on the carpeted floor in front of the fire, their presents scattered around them, focused on eating all of the snacks they had gifted to one another, aiming for a sugar overdose, as San had put it. He looked incredibly jealous as he watched Yeosang unwrap yet another Chocolate Frog and it eat without any worry in the world.

Jongho was playing with the bracelet Wooyoung had given them all, their astrological signs decorated the silver chain. Of course, Wooyoung had gotten one for San as well, wearing it himself as the ghost couldn’t. It made Seonghwa’s heart ache, but there was nothing he could do or say, there was no way to bring the dead back.

“Do you think now that we’re friends with them,” Jongho started, a contemplative look on his face, “that they would perhaps join our _Dungeons & Dragons _ campaign?” he wondered, glancing at his friends.

Yeosang scrunched up his nose. “No, please.”

Wooyoung on the other hand looked rather delighted at the idea. “We could make them character sheets.” He laughed at something he thought of. “We could make Hongjoong a bard, it would suit him.”

“I doubt Hongjoong would have the patience to play…” Seonghwa said, imagining the Hufflepuff Prefect trying to understand the gameplay. A smile tried to fight its way onto his face, but he kept his expression schooled. This idea shouldn’t be as endearing as it was being.

“I think we should ask them at some point,” Jongho said. “It could be fun.”

“First, you’ll have to convince Mingi and Hongjoong to play, they mocked us several times for playing,” Yeosang pointed out with a grimace.

“Eh, it shouldn’t be a problem.” Jongho grinned, not explaining himself further. He stretched out his arms, falling back to lean against the couch. “I have been low key befriending Yunho and Hongjoong, and they’re pretty cool actually. I think this truce was a good call.”

“I guess only time will tell,” Seonghwa muttered.

San pressed his lips together, still off after their argument earlier. They hadn’t brought it up again, pretending everything was fine, but it was clear that the ghost struggled and they didn’t know how to behave anymore in his presence. Seonghwa hoped that soon the situation would diffuse and they could go back to how things were, possibly even better.

“Woo, pass me the _Bertie’s Beans._ Felix said he discovered a new flavor and I want to try for myself,” Jongho said then, changing the topic of their conversation.

Wooyoung leaned over their mountain of snacks and grabbed the purple package, throwing it towards the Slytherin boy. He took one out, it was an orangish color and looked horrible. He popped it inside his mouth, his expression going carefully blank.

Yeosang eyed Jongho curiously, his hand going up to his neck to play with his necklace. He stilled in his movement, a frown appearing on his delicate face.

“Ew, fuck!” cried Jongho, spitting out the bean, at the same time as Yeosang gasped in panic.

Wooyoung was laughing at Jongho, but it fell from his face the moment he sensed Yeosang’s apprehension.

“Yeosang, is everything all right?” asked San, concerned.

Seonghwa frowned as his Ravenclaw friend kept searching his neck and the floor around him.

“My-My necklace, it’s gone,” he whispered then, his eyes already filling with unshed tears. “I can’t—” He broke off, a panicked sob tearing through the Slytherin common room.

“Wait, calm down,” Wooyoung said, searching for his wand, he flicked it. “ _Accio_ necklace,” he said, but nothing happened.

“You have to have a visualization of where it is for that to work,” San pointed out quietly. Wooyoung shot him an annoyed look. “Sorry,” he muttered, looking around the floor to see if he could find the necklace in between the gift wraps and snacks.

Seonghwa helped him, but it was nowhere to be found.

“When do you last remember having it?” Jongho asked, moving forward so he could rub his hand soothingly over his friend’s shoulder.

“I-I don’t know,” Yeosang said, distressed. “Yesterday night was such a-a blur and then today there was too much going on, I didn’t notice if it—”

“Hey, we’ll find it,” Wooyoung promised him, coming closer to the Ravenclaw boy as well so he could envelop him in a tight hug. “It isn’t lost. Someone will have found it. I’ll make an announcement and ask around.”

“Thank you,” Yeosang said, but he was still crying silently, his hands twitching in his lap. “I just can’t—It’s the one thing she left behind for me, I can’t lose it.”

Seonghwa’s heart felt heavy and his eyes stung as he felt a strong urge to cry with his friend. He couldn’t fathom what it would feel like to have lost his mother and have nothing anymore to remind him of her.

“We will find it,” he repeated Wooyoung’s words with conviction, rubbing Yeosang’s knee in the hopes that it would bring him some form of comfort.


	15. Expecto Patronum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh ch14, ch15 & ch16 were written during a writer's block so excuse me if they're terrible yikes :/
> 
> also updating early because i had a really rough week and a horrible night and i need some positivity in my life rn.. thank you everyone for reading this and for 422 kudos :(( i love you!!!

Despite the holidays being spent in a comfortable truce with the Hufflepuffs, no major incidents going down, when classes restarted it felt a bit as if a bubble had broken.

Seonghwa woke up in a bit of a daze that morning, getting ready slowly and nervously. Changbin had almost flipped his shit when he had heard the news, so Seonghwa worried what the rest of the fifth years, pretty much the entire student body that was aware of their rivalry, would say. He never had cared, but now he feared that they might see _how_ he looked at Hongjoong, and that set off a domino row that Seonghwa wasn’t ready to have exposed.

It was still early when Seonghwa made his way to the Prefect Bathroom, feeling reminiscent about his first day of that school year, when he bumped into Hongjoong inside the bathroom, like that first day.

“Oh,” the Hufflepuff exhaled, pulling his shirt over his head. The strong scent of a fruity shampoo and cinnamon lingered in the air, humidity clinging to the mirrors. “Did you, ah, have a good night?”

This was what they had fallen into over the past two weeks, into friendly yet awkward pleasantries.

Seonghwa nodded, smiling awkwardly. “What about you?” He began undressing, feeling a bit self-conscious about it in Hongjoong’s presence. 

He had his pajama shirt half unbuttoned when he heard Hongjoong hum, high pitched. “Y-Yes,” he answered. His wand clattered to the floor and he picked it up clumsily, his eyes trailing across Seonghwa’s body, who felt his ears turn red. “I’ll be going then, see you at class.” Hongjoong ducked out of the room, nearly tripping.

Seonghwa looked down at his half exposed torso, wondering why the Hufflepuff had fled so quickly. He shook his head and got ready for the day.

As he stood beneath the showers, choosing which shampoo and body wash he’d use that day, he was once again drawn to the one that smelled of apple and cinnamon, and with a staggering breath he realized it was the same scent he had gotten off of the _Amortentia_ potion all those months ago.

He frowned, trying to remember who this belonged to, but his brain was slow and his heart skipped a beat. Seonghwa swallowed. The answer to this question should be obvious, but he still struggled mildly to fully accept the truth. Now that classes restarted, Seonghwa wasn’t so sure if that would still uphold. During the holidays, he had ignored Hongjoong for the most part as their paths rarely had crossed, but they shared _a lot_ of classes, it wouldn’t be so easy then. And Seonghwa had an ever growing fear of doing something incredibly stupid when he was in Hongjoong’s personal bubble.

Ever since that almost kiss he was utterly terrified of being near the Hufflepuff, especially alone. His mind roamed with all the possibilities, making him blush and stutter stupidly. He had thought that once he accepted these feelings, his uncertainty and confusion would cease, but it just had gotten worse.

Without thinking about it too much, Seonghwa used the shampoo that smelled of apples and cinnamon, hoping no one would notice it was the same as Hongjoong.

Thankfully, when Seonghwa entered the Great Hall everything was just as usual. The four tables were back and the room was brimming with life and loud chatter. He walked to the Ravenclaw table, enjoying the sea of blue and silver crests on the students’s chests. No Hufflepuffs to have awkward conversations with, no strange and tension filled staring contests with a certain Prefect… Everything was normal, or as normal as it could be after the experiences during the holidays.

“Good morning, Captain!” Changbin called out excitedly, settling into the seat next to Seonghwa. “Hyunjin has told me _everything_!”

“Hyunjin barely knows _anything_ ,” Yesoang countered with a roll of his eyes.

Changbin frowned. “So you’re not dating the Hufflepuff Captain?” he wondered.

Seonghwa choked on his toast, coughing loudly. Small pieces of his food flew over the table, to which Yeeun pulled a disgusted face, moving her plate away.

“Dude…” Yeonjun wrinkled his nose.

“We are _not_ dating!” Seonghwa almost shouted. His face was on fire.

Yeosang gave him a look, his eyebrows raised in amusement. “Who said they’re dating?”

Changbin shrugged. “I don’t know, but everyone’s talking about it.”

“This is going to be a really awkward DADA class…” Seonghwa muttered. He was beginning to sweat and his heart was doing stupid summersaults. He really hoped Hongjoong wasn’t aware of these rumors.

The urge to look up and search the Hufflepuff table for those dazzling brown eyes was strong, but he resisted it, firmly looking down at his plate and eating his toast as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Slowly, the clamor between the Ravenclaw fifth years subsided and Seonghwa let out a long sigh. This was going to be the death of him.

Yeosang shot him a sympathetic look. “It’ll be fine. It’s just some dumb rumors,” he said reassuringly.

“I know. I feel very embarrassed. I hope he ignores them.”

“Do you think it is a possibility for you two to date?” Yeosang asked out of the blue.

Seonghwa choked on his food again, but this time he graciously dealt with it, drinking a cup of water. “Why are you asking that? I don’t—You know I haven’t dated before and I sure as hell won’t date Hongjoong.”

Yeosang hummed thoughtfully. “Have you really not felt anything for anyone in all these years?” Yeosang wondered, his voice small. 

Seonghwa regarded him with a searching look. Something about the question made him think that there was more to it, but he wasn’t sure what that might be. He shook his head. “No. Never.”

Yeosang smiled tight lipped. “Ah.”

**~*~**

_Defence Against the Dark Arts_ was the first class with the Hufflepuffs after their truce and even though it should be an easy class, Seonghwa would just sit with Yeosang like he always did, concentrate on the task at hand and scribble down Professor Lee’s notes, it felt very different and challenging.

When Seonghwa entered the classroom with his friend, he nearly stumbled over his own feet when he passed by the table Hongjoong and Mingi were seated at, the Hufflepuff Prefect’s eyes were on Seonghwa, wide and unreadable. They didn’t exchange any words, but Hongjoong did give away the tiniest of smiles.

When Seonghwa sat down, he clutched the sides of his desk tightly before he glanced to his right, locking eyes with Hongjoong. His heartbeat was already beginning to speed up and his stomach was tingling in a disastrous and exhilarating way. This wasn’t good.

Yeosang elbowed him softly. “Did he say something?” he asked quietly.

Seonghwa shook his head, looking away. “No, but I…” he trailed off, unsure what he even wanted to say. What was there for him to say? 

That he found himself inexplicably attracted to Hongjoong, wanting to get lost in his eyes, needing the Hufflepuff’s attention on him as if nothing else mattered anymore; that he couldn’t form any rational thoughts anymore whenever he was in close proximity of Hongjoong—especially after their almost kiss.

Yeosang frowned. “You what?”

Seonghwa swallowed, dropping his hands from the desk to fold them in his lap. “It’s nothing, don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

Thankfully Professor Lee entered the classroom them, silencing the chatter and gaining everyone’s attention on her. 

“Welcome back, students,” she said, not wasting any time in writing something on the green board. “I hope you had nice holidays.” There was a collective affirmative sound. “We’re starting off the second term with a particularly hard spell, but once it is mastered… Once you have found the key to make it powerful, it is incredibly rewarding, especially if you find yourself in need of using it. Not that I hope you ever do,” she said somberly, drawing out her wand. She swung it in the air and said, clearly, “ _Expecto Patronum_!” 

From the tip of her wand a silvery cloud formed, the bigger it got the more it took the shape of a tiger. The animal pranced around the room, majestic and ghostly. A few students gasped in awe. 

“The Patronus Charm can be very tricky as it requires you to conjure up your happiest memory in a moment of aversion. You’ve all studied dementors in your third year of _Care of Magical Creatures_ ; can someone please remind us about these beings?” Professor Lee gazed around the classroom.

Jungeun rose her hand.

“Yes, Miss Kim?”

“Dementors are creatures that feed off of a person’s saddest and most terrible memories. They suck out one’s soul and if—” She swallowed, her voice trembling. “And if a dementor isn’t stopped they give the so called Dementor’s Kiss, taking a person’s life.”

“10 points to Hufflepuff.” Professor Lee nodded her head appreciatively. “I expect an essay written about dementors and the Patronus Charm for our next class, two thousand words. For today we’re going to focus on the correct pronunciation and wand movement, as well as the memory needed to perform it. I know that it can be difficult… Don’t feel ashamed or disappointed if you’re unable to cast your Patronus today.” She moved her hand in the air, signalizing the students to get up and begin the lesson.

The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws moved the tables and chairs out of the center of the classroom, then drew out their wands, standing awkwardly as they awaited further orders.

“Make groups of four, two of each house. Practice the movement of the wand, which I will be drawing on the board shortly, then the spell itself. The last task will be the happy memory. Once you’ve got everything down, perform the spell if you believe you’re ready.” Professor Lee turned around to face the green wall. The students began shuffling around, pairing up with friends and housemates.

Seonghwa and Yeosang exchanged a look, falling onto a silent agreement. Hesitantly they approached their Hufflepuff ex-rivals, who looked surprised at being addressed.

“Do you want to pair up for the assignment?” Seonghwa asked quietly, his cheeks feeling hot. He avoided looking at Hongjoong and instead was staring at Mingi, who smiled awkwardly, scrunching up his nose.

“Sure,” Mingi said slowly, side glancing Hongjoong. The Hufflepuff Prefect shrugged noncommittally. “Cool.”

“Yeah, cool,” Seonghwa echoed. Maybe he should’ve asked Keonhee or Jungeun instead, this was a mistake.

They began to move their wands accordingly, not speaking to one another. Hongjoong was mumbling the spell under his breath, his eyebrows pulled together in concentration. It was fatally endearing. 

After around ten minutes, the first students attempted to cast the Patronus Charm, the rest of the classroom watching expectantly. Keonhee was the first to succeed, it was weak and only lasted for a few moments, but a silvery canary bird flew out of his wand.

“Excellent, Mr Lee! Fifteen points to Hufflepuff!” Professor Lee exclaimed delighted, clapping her hands.

“I’ll try as well,” Yeosang mumbled. He closed his eyes, a focused look on his face. When he opened them he flicked his wand in a practice manner and said, loud and clear, “ _Expecto Patronum_.”

An arctic fox danced in front of him, hushing around the classroom as if it was chasing something. Yeosang proudly looked over at Seonghwa with a radiant smile.

Professor Lee smiled at him. “Magnificent! Fifteen points to Ravenclaw!”

“What did you think about?” Seonghwa asked.

“You,” Yeosang replied, then coughed embarrassed. Mingi shot him a surprised look, his eyebrows raising up. “And Wooyoung, Jongho, and San. Taehyun and my parents, too, of course… Just everyone that matters to me.”

“I see.” Seonghwa nodded his head. He wasn’t sure what he should think of, he had many happy memories, but none of them gave him that tingling feeling of pure joy and comfort. Maybe he was taking the wrong approach to it.

“Let me try as well,” Hongjoong said. “ _Expecto Patronum_!” 

Hongjoong’s Patronus appeared to be an otter, to which Mingi laughed loudly and teasingly, saying it was fitting. The Hufflepuff Prefect scowled at first, but the more he watched the ghostly mammal move in the air, the more a small smile formed on his face.

“Why don’t you try it, Park?” Hongjoong asked, excitedly. “Uh, I mean, S-Seonghwa,” he corrected himself. They had started to use each other’s given names instead of family names. It made Seonghwa’s heart beat faster.

“Uh, sure.” Just like Yeosang he decided to think of the people in his life that made him feel loved and accepted, he thought of the love he had for them; and just before casting the charm, Hongjoong’s face popped up in his mind as well. “ _E-Expecto Patronum_!”

It wasn’t as strong as Yeosang or Hongjoong’s, but it did take the form of an animal, just for a brief moment. It appeared to be a meerkat. 

“Aw, cute,” Yeosang cooed, smiling. “It suits you.”

Seonghwa hummed, scratching his neck. “Ah, I don’t know…”

“I agree,” Hongjoong said. “It kind of looks like you.”

Seonghwa turned around to look at him, squinting his eyes. “Are you trying to insult me?”

“No!” Hongjoong shook his head. “No, they’re cute.”

“Oh, boy,” Mingi mumbled, suppressing a grin. He looked at Yeosang then, giving him a sympathetic smile.

“I mean, like… Never mind,” Hongjoong stuttered. Seonghwa cleared his throat, looking away. This was dangerous, he could already feel his cheeks turn red. “Mingi, you go on then. Try the Patronus Charm.”

“Gladly.” The tall Hufflepuff stepped forward, swinging his wand. “ _Expecto Patronum_.”

To Seonghwa’s surprise his Patronus took the form of a fox as well. Mingi flinched, finishing the charm with a flick of his wand. His eyes were wide and the look he gave Yeosang was full of apprehension. Seonghwa again thought about the possibility of Mingi not actually disliking Yeosang and instead feel for him the same that Seonghwa felt for Hongjoong. 

“Seems like we have matching Patronuses,” Yeosang commented, unaware of the Hufflepuff’s agitation.

“Yeah,” Mingi exhaled. “Seems like it.” 

Seonghwa looked away from them, something about it felt incredibly private—vulnerable. He found Hongjoong looking at him, a funny expression on his face. He had his lips parted as if he wanted to say something, so he inched closer to the Hufflepuff.

“What?” Seonghwa asked quietly, his eyes wandering around the classroom. Thick snowflakes were landing on the windows, covering them fully in the span of seconds. It was a long winter.

“Do you think that maybe, uh, there might be something going on between them?” Hongjoong asked. Seonghwa drew back, giving Hongjoong a concerned look. “Never mind.”

“Maybe your friend, but I don’t think Yeosang likes—” he was saying.

“If anything, I think Yeosang is the one that might like Mingi,” Hongjoong interrupted him, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Before the two boys could keep bickering, Professor Lee walked past them, her eyebrows raised in question. “Mind telling me why you’re not practicing the charm?”

“Uh, sorry, Professor,” Seonghwa said, coughing.

“I must say I am surprised by this… choice of group,” she said, eyeing the four of them. “I am glad you are putting your differences aside,” she added with a smile. “House rivalries are always so ridiculous, don’t you agree?”

“Yes, totally.” Seonghwa nodded. Hongjoong hummed in agreement, a small smile on his lips.

Mingi snorted as soon as Professor Lee was out of their hearing range. “You’re turning Hogwarts upside down with this truce.”

 _Not just Hogwarts,_ Seonghwa thought.

They exchanged a look. It was unlike any they had shared to that moment—not filled with hate or spite, not something unsure and confused. It was amicable, as if they had a little secret that no one else knew about. Seonghwa swallowed, the corners of his lips twitching as a smile made its way onto his face. 

They returned to their lesson then, working on the Patronus Charm. The classroom slowly filled with more and more ghostly animals swirling through the air. An hour later Professor Lee put an end to the class, galvanizing the students to move the chairs and tables back to their initial position.

Yeosang dashed out of the classroom, saying that he needed to speak with Professor Im about something before lunch, leaving Seonghwa behind with the Hufflepuffs.

“Er…” Seonghwa cleared his throat, pushing his hands into his trouser pockets in an awkward manner. He smiled tight lipped at Hongjoong and Mingi. 

“I’ve gotta… go!” Mingi exclaimed, winking at Hongjoong exaggeratedly, and sprinted down the corridor, ignoring a Gryffindor Prefect’s protests.

“No running!”

Hongjoong laughed in a fake manner. “Ignore him. He’s stupid.”

Seonghwa was pushed into Hongjoong by a herd of fourth year boys, all talking excitedly about something that Seonghwa didn’t quite catch. He was too busy with trying not to be completely pressed up against the Hufflepuff Prefect, reaching out one of his hands towards the wall to stop himself from getting closer. 

It didn’t really do much, when Seonghwa looked down he froze. He was incredibly close to Hongjoong, their noses nearly touching and their breaths mixing together. The hot air of Hongjoong’s little exhales produced tingles on Seonghwa’s lips; if he didn’t move it would drive him crazy.

The Hufflepuff’s cheeks were tinged a light pink and his pupils were dark as they focused on Seonghwa’s eyes.

Again, that feeling that the world around them faded away was spreading over the Ravenclaw, but this time he didn’t let it escalate. He pushed himself off of the wall, almost stumbling and falling, and straightened himself up. 

He shot Hongjoong a glare, jumping back into their old ways because that was the only way he knew how to subside his racing heart and shaking hands. He wanted to say something, but no words came over his lips so he ducked his head and walked away from Hongjoong, down the corridor, with his shoulders tensed up, and the lingering stare of the Hufflepuff burning holes into his body.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he mumbled to himself as he reached the stairs, passing a trembling hand through his hair and gripping it tightly to snap out of it, but he couldn’t get the ghost Hongjoong’s breath on his lips out of his mind.

**~*~**

When Wednesday afternoon came around, they walked to their _Divination_ classroom. Seonghwa tried his best not to constantly steal glances at Hongjoong like a fool.

The Hufflepuff was again sitting near them, his two friends speaking about Quidditch—or rather, Mingi was talking about the upcoming game between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Hongjoong was quiet, rummaging through his bag as they waited for Professor Taehyung to begin the class.

Wooyoung and Yeosang were discussing the essay they’d had to write over the holidays about the art of tea leaves reading, which they had already studied in their third year but were revisiting now for their O.W.L.s as it was a big part of _Divination_.

“I’m telling you, it is a legit form of seeing one’s future,” Wooyoung insisted, irritated.

“And I’m saying that I have never seen more in the leaves than what they are: _leaves_!” Yeosang responded.

Seonghwa sighed, tuning them out. As good of friends they were this was the one topic they just couldn’t agree on and instead of respecting that, they insisted on constantly fight about it. Seonghwa was too tired to put an end to it, they could just try, for once, to find common ground themselves.

He retrieved his notebook and pen, lying them neatly on the table as he distractedly watched Professor Taehyung prepare the class.

“—think we will beat them?” he heard Mingi ask.

“Who knows, Seonghwa’s team is strong, as much as I hate to admit that,” Hongjoong answered.

Yunho sighed. “Please don’t let this Quidditch rivalry get in the way of your truce, I’m begging you.”

“It won’t,” Hongjoong reassured him and Seonghwa’s heart jumped in his chest. He could feel his hands become clammy.

He turned around in his seat, only slightly, so he could look at the Hufflepuff Prefect out of the corner of his eye. He quickly looked ahead again when he thought he saw them looking at him.

“Are you sure about that?” Yunho asked.

“I am! Seriously, Yunho, whatever prank war and antagonism there might have been between us, we’re trying to put it aside and just—I don’t know what exactly is going on, but we’re not fighting anymore.”

“I’ll take it,” Yunho said with a sigh. “What about you and Yeosang?” he asked, presumably addressing Mingi.

“We’re fine,” the werewolf answered. He clicked with his tongue in an annoyed matter. “Don’t give me that look, Yunho. I haven’t called him little Ice King since December nor have I bothered him in any other way.”

“Okay, good,” Yunho said, his tone clipping. “I just—I think this truce is going to be really good, especially for you two.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hongjoong asked.

Yunho hesitated. “Nothing. I-I mean, obviously that meant _something_.” He laughed awkwardly. “I’ll tell you some other time. Besides, I’m pretty sure Seonghwa has been listening in so…”

Seonghwa flinched, resolutely staring at his desk, entertaining himself with his notebook. He could feel his cheeks growing warm in embarrassment.

“Oh, really?” Hongjoong wondered. “That’s rude, Park,” he said, but without his usual taunting tone, instead he sounded amused.

Seonghwa took in a deep breath and turned around to glare at Yunho, who held a look of innocence on his face. Hongjoong was smirking.

“Shut up,” was all Seonghwa muttered.

Finally, Professor Taehyung began the class and Seonghwa let out a long sigh, concentrating his mind on the task at hand. Once their professor had explained everything, he put on some incenses, bathing the classroom in smoke, and dimmed the lights.

It wasn’t until Wooyoung sat motionless for more than two minutes that Seonghwa sensed something was wrong. He turned to look at his Gryffindor friend worriedly.

Wooyoung sat in his seat, clutching his tea mug tightly. It was empty, the leaves sorted in a way that could mean something but nothing as well. The Gryffindor wasn’t focused on the leaves, though, his eyes were wide and completely white; it was a scary sight. Wooyoung’s lips were parted and he was mumbling under his breath. Seonghwa inched closer, so he could hear what his friend was saying.

“ _When a millennium comes to an end, and the tenth moon is the blackest, Your Highness born out of darkness will walk among men._ ”

Seonghwa frowned, searching their desk for a pen and a piece of parchment so he could write it down. He remembered Wooyoung’s prophecy from months ago in which he had said similar things. The word _Highness_ stuck out to him, he remembered San’s note on that Gryffindor’s girls student record. They had to be connected.

“Yeosang,” Seonghwa whispered, getting his friend’s attention. He jerked his chin at Wooyoung, then pushed the parchment towards the other Ravenclaw to read. “I think whatever is worrying San might have to do with his.”

Yeosang grabbed the parchment, his eyes moving over the words. His lips parted in a silent gasp. His eyes moved up to look at Seonghwa, then at Wooyoung. 

“Do you think this is also connected to what San said about Jongho? And the black blood?” Yeosang wondered.

“Maybe.”

Wooyoung blinked then, his eyes becoming normal again. He let out a shuddering breath, looking at his friends with apprehension.

“Did I just—” He didn’t finish his question as he took in his friends looks, his eyes trailing down to the words Seonghwa had written down. “Oh.” He brushed his fingers over the prophecy. “We need to speak to San as soon as possible. He can’t keep us out of this, not when I—” He gestured at the parchment in a self-explanatory way.

“Yes. I agree,” Seonghwa said. “It won’t be easy to get him to talk though.”

Wooyoung sighed. “No, it won’t.”

**~*~**

_The Three Broomsticks_ was brimming with Hogwarts students, especially full as the weather outside was rather unfriendly and harsh, an icy cold wind sweeping the streets. 

Seonghwa found himself sitting with his friends, by the back of the inn, enjoying their Butterbeer and banter. It was almost like their usual hangouts whenever they visited Hogsmeade—keyword: almost. When the door of _The Three Broomsticks_ opened and Yunho walked in with the Hufflepuffs in tow, they made their way over to Seonghwa and his friends, without any hesitation.

“Oh, man,” Jongho mumbled, pressing himself to Yeosang’s side so Yunho could sit next to him. On each of Seonghwa’s sides, the Hufflepuffs settled down. “How are you guys?” he asked friendly, smiling at Yunho.

“Quite well,” the tall Gryffindor answered.

Seonghwa shifted in his seat, clutching to his butterbeer like his life depended on it. He didn’t dare to glance at Hongjoong, their interaction after the DADA class was still very much haunting him.

“Annoyed by classes restarting,” Mingi supplemented with a shrug. “Hm. What about you all?” A chorus of mumbled and unconvinced _okays_ and _everything_ _is_ _fine_ came as an answer. Mingi’s eyebrows shot up. “Right.”

“We’re playing against you soon,” Hongjoong said out of the blue, glancing at Seonghwa.

“Yes.”

“I hope you won’t pull any foul tricks,” the Hufflepuff Prefect further continued.

“Uh-huh.”

Wooyoung coughed awkwardly, moving forward to regard the occupants at the table. “Haha, so uh, did you see that Keonhee asked Hwanwoong out on a date?” he asked, his eyes wide and hoping that the topic would distract them from the tension.

Yeosang nodded. “Yes, kind of surprised. I thought Hwanwoong liked Mingi.”

Mingi looked at him, choking on his drink. “He what?”

The Ravenclaw shrugged. “It’s what I heard, but clearly I was wrong.”

“Aw, our poor Mingi remains single.” Yunho leaned forward to pinch his friend’s cheek, to which Mingi spluttered and leaned back to escape the Gryffindor.

The laughter that this produced and the bickering between Yunho and Mingi was a good distraction for Seonghwa to check out Hongjoong by his side.

The Hufflepuff Prefect noticed this and looked up at him, smiling warily. “I hope your team is ready.”

“It is,” Seonghwa promised him. “I wanted to say sorry.”

Hongjoong tilted his head in confusion. “For what?”

“I was acting a bit coldly after DADA… Don’t misinterpret it, the truce is still on, I was just…” he trailed off with a shrug.

“Don’t worry,” Hongjoong reassured him.

Seonghwa knew he should look away and rejoin the conversation happening around them, but he was entranced by how soft Hongjoong’s eyes looked in the dim lights of the inn. His eyes looked somehow darker there and a whole lot more alluring. They possessed a pull on Seonghwa, dragging him closer to Hongjoong, and it wasn’t as if the Hufflepuff was looking away or doing something to stop this magnetic eye contact. 

Someone kicked Seonghwa’s shin and it startled him, making him glance around the table, his ears surely about to be as red as the Gryffindors’s scarves. He saw Wooyoung shooting him an eyebrow raised look, a bit of amusement dancing in his eyes. Seonghwa looked down, kicking his friend back.

“As eventful as this meeting is,” Wooyoung began, his eyes not leaving Seonghwa, “I actually need to purchase something with our dearest Ravenclaw Prefect here.” He smiled at the table’s occupants and got up. 

Seonghwa squinted his eyes but got up as well, excusing himself from the other boys. He caught Yeosang and Jongho’s confused expressions, shrugging as an answer.

Once they were outside of _The Three Broomsticks_ , Seonghwa struggled to zip up his coat. Wooyoung smacked his hand on his shoulder, grabbing it tightly.

“So,” the Gryffindor said, smiling wickedly, “that was quite an interesting… _exchange_ , if I say so myself. Don’t worry, though, I’m here to help you out because the way you were eyeing him was anything but subtle.”

Seonghwa felt his cheeks blush again. He shoved Wooyoung. “Shut up! I got caught up in his eyes—” He stopped himself, flinching. This wasn’t how he wanted Wooyoung to find out about his crush. 

To his relief, the Gryffindor only laughed amusedly, his nose scrunching up. “Ugh, I don’t need to know what constellations you see in there!” he protested.

They walked down the snow-covered road, the street lamps bathing everything in a warm lightning. The sky was already dark, but it was too cloudy for any stars or the moon to show themselves.

Seonghwa scoffed. “As if you’re any better regarding San,” he complained. “You literally once talked about him for two hours! I know about all the ways he smiles and how his eyes crinkle, and the way his voice gets when he wants your attention—”

Wooyoung yelped indignantly. “I get it! You can stop. Ugh.” He shook himself. “But seriously, if you don’t want Hongjoong to notice you have to be a lot more subtle. The guy is going to think you’re a clone with how completely different you’re behaving compared to before.”

They stopped near _Honeydukes,_ watching the warm colors inside the store, a stark contrast to the dark and cold outside of the store, with the white snow lining the road. Seonghwa watched a group of first or second years all trying out _Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans._ He smiled when one of them started gagging. He remembered how Yeosang had bought them a pack during their first train ride, getting all the bad ones while Seonghwa had had the luck of only trying an earwax one.

He sighed. “I know that I am being extremely obvious, but I don’t know how to act. It’s as if a switch has been turned and I don’t even remember how it is to hate him. Whereas my mind usual screamed at me to hurt him or bother him, now there’s radio silence or worse…” he trailed off.

“Or worse?” Wooyoung inquired. “What do you mean by that?”

“Ah…” Seonghwa laughed, embarrassed. “It’s as if everything about him is suddenly enhanced and I can’t bring myself to think of anything else. Just him.”

Wooyoung nodded his head thoughtfully. “I definitely know how that feels, but it’ll fade. For the most part. It’s the infatuation and realization you’re going through right now. After that… After that comes the more painful part, I believe. But it’s also so good— _so, so good,_ ” Wooyoung explained to him.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s when you just cherish every moment with him. You want to see him happy even if it hurts you because you _love_ him. It gets tricky when you start to forego your own happiness, but I’ll be there to prevent that to happen to you,” Wooyoung promised him, giving him a smile. Upon Seonghwa’s dreadful look he softly elbowed him. “Maybe the infatuation will fade and you’ll just be friends; who knows?”

“Yeah, who knows,” he echoed.

Seonghwa wasn’t sure what he’d rather have: his crush to fade or for it to grow into love. It didn’t sound too bad, actually, loving someone, as painful as it would be. Maybe he was just delusional at the moment, allowing his feelings and emotions to speak louder, but the idea of wanting to see Hongjoong happy no matter the price was an idea he could become friends with.

He’d just have to wait and see how things would develop.

**~*~**

There weren’t many places that could fill him with complete peacefulness, but the bit of forest that stretched out between Hogsmeade and the _Shrieking Shack_ was one of those places. He wasn’t sure what exactly it was, possibly the fact that no students ever came to hang out so Yeosang knew he could be completely alone there.

With the seasonal snow covering every surface, turning the world into a wonderland and muffling the sounds around him, it was the perfect spot to mediate for a while. He still struggled to completely grasp that concept, even if his therapist had insisted that it would be good for him. It was hard to shut his mind off, but he kept practicing and trying, and this place, where it felt as if he was the only person in the world, was perfect for it.

Yeosang closed his eyes, listening to the wind passing through the naked trees and bushes, the few birds that were sitting in the branches singing quietly. Sometimes the wind could make it all seem so much bigger, entering every corner and hollow, giving the world much more space. Yeosang could feel it, the hugeness of the world.

He let his fingertips dance over the snow on the railing that separated the _Shrieking Shack_ from the forest, sniffling quietly as the icy wind hit his face. He didn’t mind it—the cold—for it awakened him and his mind. 

He could hear footsteps approaching, the snow crunching underneath whoever’s feet were making their way over to him. He opened his eyes and turned around. Yeosang was surprised to find Mingi walking towards him, carefully positioning his feet so he wouldn’t slip. He was wearing his Hufflepuff scarf and a long, black coat that suited him nicely, accentuating his height.

Yeosang grabbed the railing tightly, the snow on it falling onto the ground, and prepared himself for whatever it was that Mingi needed from him.

“Hey,” the tall Hufflepuff said when he stood right next to him, his gaze fixated on Yeosang. “What are you doing here alone?”

“Thinking,” he answered, then shook his head. “Trying not to think, actually.”

Mingi laughed. It was a rare sight. Yeosang felt a bit breathless then. “Is that even possible? Not thinking?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I am meant to empty my mind.”

“Why is that?” Mingi leaned against the railing, his hands stuffed into his coat’s pockets. He was still staring at Yeosang.

“It supposedly helps with my, uh, anxiety,” he confessed quietly. After opening up to his friends he thought it would be easier to talk about it, but Mingi was the complete opposite of him that he felt like less in his presence. Ashamed of his mental illness.

Mingi nodded his head, though, smiling sympathetically. “Does it help?” he asked.

“I’m not sure yet.”

“I hope it does.”

Yeosang looked at the _Shrieking Shack_ , hoping that the blush that was forming on his cheeks wasn’t visible. That would be mortifying. Even if all these years he had been so sure about his feelings and whom he wanted to devote his love to, he had to admit that he was feeling less and less convinced, especially after the recent turn of events. Somehow Mingi distracted him of his feelings too.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, stealing a glance at the tall boy. It was unnerving to find Mingi still staring at him, at least the Hufflepuff had the grace that look away quickly, his own cheeks blushing. “Is there a reason why you’ve come all the way here, seeking me out?” Yeosang wondered after a brief silence.

Mingi smiled. “Actually, there is.” He gout his hands out from his coat’s pocket, removing his gloves. He opened the zipper and rummaged through the inner pocket, retrieving something. “Open your hand,” he said.

Yeosang eyed him warily, but did obey. His curiosity got the best of him. He desperately hoped Mingi wasn’t about to prank him, that would be so embarrassing. Yeosang had decided to put a fraction of his trust in Mingi after the Prefects had decided on a truce two weeks ago. He still wasn’t all too convinced and preferred the company of his friends over the Hufflepuffs and Yunho, but he might as well try to let go of all his prejudice towards Mingi, see how serious the tall boy was about this truce.

Mingi took Yeosang’s open hand in his free one and dropped something small and cold in the palm of his hand. Yeosang stared down and found his heart stuttering in his chest.

“My necklace,” he whispered.

A memory he often dreamt about flickered in front of him. His mother, leaning down so she could be on eye level with him. _Yeosang_ , she had said, tenderly, _this necklace has belonged to my family for a very long time and I want you to have it._ She had placed it around his neck, pinching his cheek when he had looked at the golden bird with his nose wrinkled. At the time, he had been young and unaware how quick he’d lose her years later. Now, it was all he could hold on to when the sadness broke through him in those moments he missed her.

Yeosang tried hard not to let the tears stream down his face.

“Yes, I found it in the snow during the full moon night,” Mingi confessed. “But I wasn’t sure how to give it back to you…”

Yeosang was unable to speak, his mind reeling and his heart beating fast in his chest. He was shocked that Mingi had found it and was giving it back to him just like that.

Mingi sighed. “Here, let me put it on you,” he said and took the necklace out of Yeosang’s hand, bringing it around the Ravenclaw’s neck. It felt comforting and warm to have the little golden bird around his neck again. The back of Mingi’s hand brushed against Yeosang’s jaw, it was warm despite the coldness around them, and Yeosang flinched slightly when he felt the place of contact tingle. Mingi noticed of course and let out a sigh, a hurt look crossing his face. “All done,” he whispered, removing his hand. “I take it you don’t like me very much.”

Yeosang swallowed, unable to say something. He was still in shock, this time more about the electric waves running through his body, his jaw still tingled, and he could feel his ears burning underneath his beanie. What was happening?

“I don’t… hate you,” he finally said. “I don’t think so, at least.”

Mingi scoffed. “Well, that’s reassuring.”

Yeosang felt irritation grow in him. “Sorry that I’m still a bit wary around you. After all, you tormented me for years, calling me little Ice King and what not.”

Mingi recoiled, stepping back. He had his hands hanging by his sides, clenching and unclenching. 

“Was I wrong? Are you not as cold as ice?” he asked, but it wasn’t exactly taunting, just sad with underlying anger.

“You _know_ I am not!” Yeosang cried, resisting the urge to push Mingi. “Why do you care so much anyway?”

“I don’t,” Mingi said hastily, stumbling over his words. “I don’t care.”

An uncomfortable silence settled over them, a new snowfall coming from the dark sky. Yeosang felt like a mess, his emotions overwhelming him. Despite the changes, it was hard to let go of what he had gotten to know over the past years, a part of him didn’t want to let go of his unrequited love just yet, even if it definitely wouldn’t bloom. For the longest time, he had feared that Mingi’s words were right, that he was indeed an Ice King, unable to love and a heart doomed to coldness, so it was hard to let go of the proof that he wasn’t made of ice.

“I just want to be able to love,” he whispered, his voice weak and small, barely audible over the wind, but Mingi must have heard him for he took a step forward. “And I wanted that love to be returned…”

Unexpectedly, Mingi hugged him, or more like held him. It was awkward and Mingi’s arms weren’t tight around him, a lot of hesitance put into the action, but the fact that he was trying was enough. Yeosang allowed the hug to happen, his own arms coming around the Hufflepuff’s waist, resting there ever so lightly in the fear that any more would be too much or unwanted.

“One day, Yeosang, you’ll find the love you deserve,” Mingi told him— _promised_ him.


	16. Letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is also in Hongjoong's POV!!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!! ^^
> 
> Little spoiler for this chapter: 👨❤️💋👨

_My dearest Hongjoong,_

_I am terribly sorry that I couldn’t be home for Christmas, I promise you next year I will find the time to be with you. Nonetheless, I hope you had wonderful holidays with your friends at Hogwarts!_

_You sounded worried in your last letter, for once not about my health—I am fine, by the way, you don’t need to worry about me constantly—and I’m afraid that I cannot soothe your concerns._

_I got paired together with an employee of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to haunt down a notorious werewolf. He’s been last seen roaming between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts… I didn’t tell you sooner as I didn’t want to worry you and your friends, but after reading your words I think it’s best I share this with you._

_You were not mistaken, there might be another werewolf at Hogwarts aside from your dear friend—more specifically, the werewolf has been identified as they same that murdered Mingi’s parents and turned him. We suspect he’s looking for a pack, recruiting all those he made. Please take good care of your Mingi, he might be in danger. We have an undercover agent at Hogsmeade and hope that soon he’ll catch the dangerous werewolf._

_I cannot tell you more for it is confidential information, but I trust you to act accordingly and not do something reckless. I’ll write you as soon as I have positive news about this development._

_I hope you are sleeping and eating well, my son. Let’s talk soon, once the terrors are over. I want to hear all about your adventures and grades!_

_With all the love in the world,_

_Mama♡_

**~*~**

Hongjoong had his legs stretched out under the table, crossed as he clicked his boots together to the beat of the music that came out of the device Professor Kim Yonghwan was holding. The Music Classroom was on the fifth floor and it was Hongjoong’s favorite classroom. He loved all the different instruments standing around, Muggle and Wizarding culture alike—some even existed in both worlds—but what motivated him even more was the modern way in which Muggles made music, using a rectangular device that Hongjoong learnt was called ‘computer’ or ‘laptop’.

Professor Yonghwan was in a band, which performed in Hogwarts on special occasions and toured during the summer holidays. He was the only pureblood in the band, having learned all the music making methods from his Muggle companions. Hongjoong was perhaps a bit enamored with Professor Yonghwan, admiring him and his lifestyle from afar.

Hongjoong always had been set about following his mother’s steps into becoming an Auror, but he wasn’t so sure anymore these days. When Yunho told him to take _Music_ with him, he had been a bit wary at first, but by the third class, two years ago, he had fallen in love with it. Mingi had decided to join them the previous year, fed up with _Ancient Runes._

“Students,” Professor Yonghwan began, “I’ve spoken with Headmistress Min and she accepted my request, so I’m happy to announce that, with a big probability, by the next class we will have a few computers for your disposition to try out Muggle music production.”

Hongjoong sat up straight, jiggling his knee in excitement. He raised his hand in the air.

“Yes, Mr Kim?”

“Would it be alright if I spent some more time in the classroom, sir, to learn all about this program?” he asked eagerly. 

Professor Yonghwan sighed, but there was a smile on his lips. “Yes, Mr Kim, I’ll allow you to use the classroom after class. _Only_ for learning purposes, nothing else, do you hear me?” Hongjoong nodded, shooting him an angelic smile. The professor returned to teaching the class, going over their previous lessons and what they needed to remember.

“What would you even do here aside from learning?” Mingi wondered quietly, snorting.

Yunho grinned. “I can think of _something_.”

Hongjoong glanced at him, eyebrows raised in question. “Which would be?”

Yunho leaned forward so that only his friends would hear him. “Oh, I don’t know, I’ve heard empty classrooms are the perfect place for making out.”

Hongjoong sputtered, nearly kicking the table with his knee as he tried to subside the shiver that ran through him.

“As if you’d know anything about kissing,” Mingi said, but he did look curiously at Hongjoong.

“Just because I’m ace doesn’t mean I don’t kiss people,” Yunho complained.

“Who would I bring here to kiss anyway?” Hongjoong tried to sound nonchalant and unbothered, but there was a pair of very (frustratingly) familiar lips burned in his mind. The way they stretched out when Seonghwa smiled, showing a perfect row of teeth—seriously, how did he manage to have such pearly white and straight teeth?—or when he bit them while he tried to concentrate during class. 

Hongjoong’s mind wandered to that moment in the snow, when he had been seconds away from leaning down and press his own lips against Seonghwa’s. 

His mind was reeling with the possibility of being in that position again, in an abandoned classroom, with the afternoon sun filtering through the window and bathing everything in soft colors. Pressing Seonghwa against one of the large windows, seeing how he’d glitter in the beautiful sunlight, with his cheeks rosy and those brown eyes looking mellow and brilliant. 

Hongjoong swallowed; he wouldn’t get that imagery out of his mind now. Thankfully, his friends hadn’t realized his change of mood. 

Yunho smiled cheekily when he whispered, “Seonghwa, of course!”

Mingi coughed awkwardly, trying to hide his laughter. Professor Yonghwan shot them a withering glare before he continued his class.

“You’re not… opposing?” Yunho asked, taken aback by the lack of protest coming from the Prefect. Hongjoong shrugged. “Wait are you agreeing with me? You’d take Seonghwa here to make out?!” The two tall boys exchanged a wide eyed look.

“I… didn’t say that,” Hongjoong tried.

“Then what are you saying?” Yunho pressed, his eyes shimmering with excitement. He was like a little kid about to be told that Christmas actually happened every month.

“ _Nothing_. It’s none of your business who I’d take into a classroom for making out purposes,” he hissed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Oof.” Mingi shot Yunho a meaningful look. “But is there someone?”

“No,” Hongjoong said quickly, maybe too quickly. He ducked his head so that his friends wouldn’t see the blush on his cheeks.

“Okay, but Hongjoong you know you can tell us anything, right?” Yunho said in a whisper.

“I know.” Professor Yonghwan glanced at them once again, squinting his eyes. “Sorry, Professor, we will be quiet.” Hongjoong glared at his friends. “Let’s talk about this later.”

“Sure thing, Captain,” Mingi chirped, still grinning.

Hongjoong rolled his eyes. Mingi might think he was being subtle, but Hongjoong had noticed the lingering stares his friend shot the Ravenclaw Seeker during classes and _Frog Choir_ —and any other moment Yeosang was in their vicinity.

At first he had believed Mingi was just in it for the adrenaline quick and joy of teasing the Ravenclaw, but recently Hongjoong had noticed the fondness with which his friend acted around Yeosang, especially after the truce was called in. Mingi had agreed to it way too easily, switching from calling Yeosang the little Ice King to actually using his given name whenever he spoke about him. It was an interesting development.

Hongjoong wondered if he was just as obvious regarding his changing feelings towards Seonghwa. Judging by his friends earlier talk about kissing, they definitely knew something. Hongjoong only hoped that the Ravenclaw Prefect had no clue about it, it’d be embarrassing if he did because Hongjoong didn’t know himself what to make of these feelings yet. 

He stared out of the big windows for the remainder of the class, listening to Professor Yonghwan’s rambling.

When _Music_ class was over, the three friends headed down to the Hufflepuff common room before Mingi and Hongjoong had _Frog Choir,_ it was a shame that Yunho hadn’t joined them that year, claiming he wanted to spend more time on his studies.

On their way down, they bumped into Wooyoung, his arms full of art supplies. He was part of the _Art Club for Gryffindors_ together with Hwanwoong and a couple of others of his housemates. He shot them a polite smile, different from the snarl that would have crossed his features a month ago.

“Let me help you,” Yunho said, approaching the other Gryffindor and grabbing some of the supplies. “I’ll see you guys in a sec,” he called over his shoulder at his Hufflepuff friends as he disappeared with Wooyoung.

When they entered the Hufflepuff Common Room, they were taken aback by the little scene unfolding. Keonhee stood in front of Gunhak, holding a plastic stick, the bottom of it was a dark gray while the top half was a shiny red. Gunhak held a similar stick, but his was green instead of red. They seemed to be fighting, like medieval knights would do.

“What, in Merlin’s name, is happening?” Mingi questioned Jungeun, who was standing near the door, looking as though she was about to leave.

She giggled, shaking her head. “Keonhee got those sable lasers as a Christmas present. He’s teaching Gunhak all about Muggle culture…”

Mingi cocked his head in confusion. “Sable lasers?” he repeated.

“Yes, from _Star Wars._ It’s a very famous Muggle franchise,” she explained. “Anyway, I have a date to attend. See you guys later.” She left the common room hurriedly, waving her hand at them.

“ _Star Wars,_ ” Mingi echoed, frowning. “Why would the stars be at war?”

“Who knows?” Hongjoong shrugged.

One of their team's Chasers, a second year girl named Im Yeojin, overheard them and laughed. “The stars aren’t at war!” she told them. “It’s about people in spaceships, fighting in space. Very entertaining. Hyunjin told me all about it.” She looked at Hongjoong, a teasing smile forming on her lips. “You should ask Seonghwa about it, I’m sure he’d be delighted to tell you.”

“Right.” Once she walked away he turned towards Mingi. “How come the second years are so disrespectful nowadays?”

Mingi laughed. “Nah, you were just caught off guard that she knew what you were thinking.” His laughter grew in volumes when Hongjoong tried to jab his elbow in Mingi’s ribs.

“Shut up, I wasn’t thinking about asking Seonghwa,” he grumbled, walking past his friend towards the stairs that lead up to the fifth year boys’s dorms. He was in need of a power nap.

Mingi followed him, his eyes lingering on Kunhee and Gunhak’s sword fight. Hwanwoong was close by, cheering his boyfriend on.

When they go to their dorm, Hongjoong threw his bag near his four post bed, kicking off his boots and working on the knot of his yellow and black tie. He undressed until he was only in a thin t-shirt and his dress pants. He let himself fall onto the soft covers of his bed, waving his hand at Mingi.

“I’m gonna nap, please don’t interrupt.”

“I’ll just wait for Yunho,” his friend said, crossing his legs as he sat on his bed, next to Hongjoong’s, pulling out a book to read.

It didn’t take long for dreams to filter into Hongjoong’s brain. Soft tales of hands holding Hongjoong’s steadily; a beautiful giggle echoed through his mind until it took the shape of a familiar boy. Dream Seonghwa was dressed in regular clothes—black jeans with holes and a black and white striped sweatshirt—sitting by the shores of the Black Lake. There was a soft wind blowing, tousling Seonghwa’s raven hair. He threw a soft smile at Hongjoong, his eyes crinkling. An unusual calmness settled into him.

Hongjoong was awakened by someone shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes to complete darkness around him, it was late in the afternoon already and no one was there except for Mingi.

“Come on get up, we’ve got _Frog Choir_ in ten minutes,” he whispered.

Hongjoong groaned, but got up so he could dress himself. The dream was still lingering in the back of his mind, it had been so unusually gentle, the edges fuzzy and all of the attention only on Seonghwa and his smile. Hongjoong’s insides felt all mushy, and when he stumbled on his way down to the Hufflepuff Common Room, he blamed it on the dream.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Mingi asked suspiciously.

Hongjoong schooled his expression. “No reason.”

Mingi hummed. “Right. Did you have a nice dream?”

“Yeah,” he answered. Thankfully, his friend didn’t press the matter, just nodded his head in understanding.

They entered the Great Hall minutes later, the rest of their peers already inside with Professor Chae. She shot the Hufflepuffs a displeased look, but didn’t comment on their tardiness.

Yeosang stood by the back with Jongho and Felix, their heads bent together in a low whisper, but the Ravenclaw shot Mingi a welcoming smile. Hongjoong looked up at his friend, seeing him smile back, way too enthusiastically, nearly tripping as they took their positions in the choir. 

Professor Chae handed out a couple of papers. “As you know, we have a tournament coming up soon in Hogsmeade; these are the songs I’ve chosen now it is up to you to decide which ones you want to perform.”

Jungeun raised her hand. “I think we should do one in Latin, those always get extra points.”

Olivia nodded her head in agreement.

“But they’re so hard,” Keonhee complained. 

Elkie, a sixth year Ravenclaw, rolled her eyes, muttering something to Yves.

“I think a challenge wouldn’t be bad,” Elkie reasoned.

“I agree,” Hongjoong said with a nod. “I understand that Latin is hard, but as Lip said, they get us extra points…”

“Plus, we look super badass,” Jongho mumbled from the back, gaining a few laughs.

Professor Chae nodded her head, writing down in her notebook. “I will give you another ten minutes to discuss this, then we need to start practicing.”

“Yes, Professor!” they collectively chorused. 

The small group turned towards one another to discuss on what songs to sing for the tournament. Hongjoong wasn’t participating too much in the discussion, he was more entertained by his tall friend stealing glances at Yeosang, thinking he was being subtle when he really wasn’t.

Jongho shuffled closer to him, bending his, and whispered, “I see you’ve finally caught on.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, glancing at Professor Chae to make sure she wouldn’t catch them talking.

“Your monstrously tall friend has not been slick at all. I’ve called that shit since last year,” Jongho said with an air of superiority.

“ _What_?!” Hongjoong exclaimed, a little too loudly. The rest of the _Frog Choir_ shot them confused glances. “Sorry, carry on.”

Jongho snorted. “You’re very unobservant when it comes to anything that has to do with love, huh?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Instead of answering, Jongho just grinned, leaning back so he could join the discussion. Hongjoong glared at him, feeling as though he was missing something—he probably was. He did not like it, but he was too scared to demand an answer out of Jongho. What if the Slytherin was to discover Hongjoong’s secret? He surely wouldn’t hold back from sharing it with his friends, and then Seonghwa would know that Hongjoong had a little crush on him, which was already mortifying enough, there was no need for his ex-rival to _know_ about it.

Seonghwa would probably make fun of him for it.

**~*~**

“Are you certain we should be doing this?” Yunho asked, kicking his boot against the rocky path to get rid of the dried mud. “I mean, this isn’t exactly the brightest idea if you want to keep your truce with him…”

“It’ll be fine,” Hongjoong promised him, dismissing the tall boy’s worries with a wave of his hand.

It was a Thursday afternoon in mid January, the snow still covered most of the castle’s grounds, but it was starting to melt and with the days becoming less cold, by February the landscape would be on its way to a blooming spring with greens and flowers spurting out of every corner. 

Hongjoong and Yunho were on their way to spy on the Ravenclaw Quidditch practice; Mingi was in the Library, writing a very important _Charms_ essay, so it was just the two of them, and Yunho wasn’t really having it.

Hongjoong wasn’t even going to prank the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team or tamper with the practice, he only wanted to spy on them to be prepared for their game on the last Sunday of January. A small part in his mind told him that another reason he had insisted on spying on them was to observe Seonghwa, no reasoning aside from wanting to see him in his Quidditch uniform and fly through the air, with that focused look on his face and his raven hair all messed up.

Of course, Hongjoong pushed that thought far away; it was ridiculous! 

“If Seonghwa gets angry and decides to hex you, I _will_ aid him,” Yunho said, shaking his head in disappointment.

“He won’t,” Hongjoong reassured him again. “We’re on good terms, no need to worry.”

“Oh, are you now?” Yunho wondered, his annoyed look disappearing and instead he wore an infuriating grin. One that Hongjoong had learned only appeared when Seonghwa was the topic of conversation. As if he knew something.

“Yes. I guess we are becoming _friends_ or whatever…” Hongjoong said, putting emphasis on the word ‘friends’ so that Yunho would drop that stupid grin.

He hummed. “Speaking of friends, have you seen how Mingi acts around Yeosang?”

Hongjoong nearly tripped when he whipped his head around to stare at his friend.

“Not you too!” he cried, recalling his conversation with Jongho a few days ago.

“What do you mean by that?” Yunho asked, squinting his eyes.

“Jongho said something similar. He insinuated that-that Mingi might— _like_ Yeosang; isn’t that absurd?” 

Yunho hummed again, his grin growing. “Not at all, he’s got a point. Have you seriously not noticed that Mingi has been totally over the moon—”

Hongjoong pushed a hand over Yunho’s mouth to silence him. They were nearing the Quidditch pitch, where the Ravenclaws were already deep in practice, and near the changing rooms there were two figures with their heads bent together, speaking in hushed voices.

Yunho removed Hongjoong’s hand, scoffing offended, but he stayed quiet when they made their way over to the changing rooms. 

The two students they had observed from afar turned out to be two Slytherins spying on the Ravenclaws as well.

“Oh,” said one of them—Slytherin Chaser, Kwon Eunbin. “What a coincidence.” She giggled.

Her friend eyed them suspiciously. It was the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, Jung Jinsoul. “Kim,” she muttered. “I’ll be honest, I don’t expect to be seeing you in May. Park has a really good team, it’ll be tough to beat him.”

Hongjoong balled his hands into fists, releasing them seconds later. “We will see about that.”

Even if he was building up a friendly relationship with Seonghwa, there was no way Hongjoong was going to lose against him. This was his first year as Captain, he couldn’t afford losing. He only hoped that whatever the outcome was going to be, it wouldn’t damage what they had going on because however much Hongjoong tried to deny it, the truth was that he liked Seonghwa. 

In whatever complicated way that might be.

Jinsoul hummed.

She eyed the Quidditch pitch before she put an arm around Eunbin’s shoulder. “We’ve seen enough. Good night!” She nodded her head at Yunho and walked off. Eunbin shot them a polite smile over her shoulder.

Hongjoong moved to the side of the changing rooms, peeking at the field. All Ravenclaw players were in the air, but there was a single figure standing near the chest that contained the Quidditch balls. It was Wooyoung, his black hair pushed back as his reading glasses were perched over it, he was cheering and clapping whenever a player scored a goal or when Seonghwa caught the Quaffle.

Hongjoong firmly told himself the only reason he was staring at Seonghwa was because he needed to understand his weaknesses, but that conviction faded away the more he became entranced with the smooth and powerful way Seonghwa moved in the air. He was completely in his element. A radiant and confident smile bloomed on his face whenever he prevented his players from scoring. 

Yunho let out a frustrated sigh. “Hongjoong, please tell me we did not sneak out in the cold so you can ogle Seonghwa, please tell me—”

“We did not!” Hongjoong protested, his cheeks growing warm.

But there was no point in lying. He had been following the Captain’s every movement for the past ten minutes, entranced by his smile, the wild look in his eyes, and his tousled hair, brushed by the wind. He was so devilishly handsome; it was unfair!

It was unfair that he could make Hongjoong’s heart beat so fast and crazily, that he could make Hongjoong yearn to run a hand through his hair and feel if it was as soft as it looked. It was unfair that Seonghwa could make Hongjoong wonder what his lips would feel like, not just now, but for the majority of the past month… It was unfair.

“Hongjoong, you know you can tell me, right? I won’t judge you if you have a crush on Seonghwa…”

“I don’t,” Hongjoong hissed. He turned around—tearing his gaze away from Seonghwa was a lot harder than he had imagined—so he could level Yunho was a decided look. “I don’t have a crush on him.”

Yunho sighed. “Alright. Fine.” He didn’t look convinced. “What did you mean then, during Halloween, when you said that he was driving you crazy?”

Hongjoong sputtered, his cheeks growing even warmer. He clenched his jaw, rubbing his neck, embarrassed. “That he is annoying. What else would I have meant?”

“You tell me.” Yunho shrugged.

“Why do you even think that I might have a crush on him?”

“Because you’re obsessed with him—since our third year—and sure, part of it were the pranks, but you worry about him too. Even if you try to convince yourself you don’t, you do. Mingi told me about the Boggart incident…”

“That-That doesn’t mean I have a crush on him!” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, as if to protect himself.

“But it means that you care for him.” 

“So, what? What if I do?”

Yunho opened his mouth, but then shook his head and closed it again. “Nothing.”

Hongjoong glared at him, but he did feel extremely exposed. Yunho knew and Mingi probably knew as well; if he was being so obvious it would only be a matter of time before Seonghwa and his friends caught on, and then Hongjoong wouldn’t know what to do with himself. 

Maybe there was a potion to undo love, he reckoned.

Their argument ended up being a lot louder than they had thought and before Hongjoong knew it there was a very irritated Seonghwa approaching them. 

“ _Shit_ ,” mumbled Yunho.

Hongjoong swallowed. Seonghwa had left his broom behind, and the rest of the team kept playing, but they did throw looks in their direction. The Ravenclaw Captain had his eyebrows drawn together in a frown, his lips a tight line, and his eyes were filled with anger. He didn’t even regard Yunho with a look as he grabbed a fistful of Hongjoong’s Hufflepuff scarf and pushed him against the changing room’s outer wall harshly. 

Hongjoong couldn’t help the little breathless yelp that escaped him.

“I’m gonna—I’m gonna go,” Yunho said, turning around and leaving Hongjoong to die.

“That’s probably for the best,” Seonghwa hissed. When his eyes landed on Hongjoong they were laden with irritation, but there was something electric about his gaze, too. Something that made Hongjoong’s insides turn to jelly. “What the fuck, Hongjoong?” he demanded.

“I-I,” he stuttered, trying to find a good excuse, but he was so utterly distracted with how close Seonghwa stood to him, nearly pressing his body wholly against him, that his brain went silent. “I didn’t—We didn’t come here to-to play a prank,” he finally managed to say. “I swear.”

Seonghwa squinted his eyes at him, searching his face. For a split moment his eyes came to a halt on Hongjoong’s lips. 

“Then what are you doing here?” he asked.

Hongjoong struggled against him, not daring to raise his hands because he wasn’t so sure he would actually push Seonghwa away. He balled them by his sides, trying to subside the tremble in them.

“I, um, spying?” he said intelligently, his voice coming out in a squeak.

Seonghwa gave him an exasperated look, the irritation ebbing out of him until he just stood there, close to Hongjoong. He seemed to realize their proximity for he swallowed slowly, his gaze becoming a lot more intense, falling onto Hongjoong’s lips again as if he was drawn to them.

Seonghwa glanced at the Quidditch field, then back at Hongjoong, a calculating look crossed his face. He stepped back, dragging Hongjoong behind the changing rooms, out of view of the people on the pitch. He did push Hongjoong against the wall again, but a lot softer and intently than before, and his face inched closer this time. 

Hongjoong shuddered when he felt Seonghwa’s breath on his lips and he wondered if this time they’d kiss. The same tension that had built up in between them when they had laid in the snow was back, something magnetic and maddening. It was driving his heart to beat loudly in his chest, his hands shaking even more now.

Even if it was dark, he could see that Seonghwa’s face was redder than before and he could see that his pupils were blown wide, his lips glistening as he had run his tongue across them a couple of times in the past minute. 

Hongjoong swallowed. “Seonghwa,” he whispered, surprised that his voice sounded so wrecked.

Seonghwa’s eyes were wide, and he shivered. Hongjoong wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold wind that had picked up throughout the evening or because of Hongjoong saying his name. His grip on Hongjoong’s scarf tightened and he leaned in further, stopping just millimeters from Hongjoong’s lips, waiting.

Hongjoong groaned, frustrated, and leaned up to finally— _fucking finally,_ he thought—press his lips against Seonghwa’s.

They were soft and wet, and Hongjoong’s mind went blank. He didn’t even notice his eyes falling shut, all he could focus on was the drag of Seonghwa’s lips against his. The Ravenclaw angled his face to the side, so he could kiss him with more intent and deeper, moving his lips slowly. It was as if he wanted to memorize the way they felt, against which Hongjoong had nothing to object, he was more than on board to have Seonghwa move his mouth with deliberation.

Seonghwa’s grip on his scarf loosened and his hand snaked around Hongjoong’s face, gripping the back of his neck instead to hold him steadily. Hongjoong himself allowed his hands to come up and rest them on Seonghwa’s waist, holding onto his hips—he needed to remind himself that this was real—and he dug his fingers into the Ravenclaw’s uniform.

Merlin, his heart… His heart was _soaring._

Seonghwa moved his face inches away to let out a ragged breath, but before Hongjoong could even complain he kissed him again, dragging his lips away from Hongjoong’s mouth to trail them over his chin, down to his neck.

Hongjoong’s breath hitched and his eyes flew open. “ _Fuck_ ,” he mumbled, in awe of how good this felt. Seonghwa was nibbling the skin beneath his jawline, undoubtedly with the intention of giving him a hickey. Hongjoong thought of his friends then, what they would say, and he managed to find the strength to move one of his hands away from Seonghwa’s hips to pass it through the Ravenclaw Captain’s hair, gripping it tightly to guide him away. “Don’t—No hickeys,” he told him.

“Ugh, fine,” Seonghwa said with a sigh, his voice was hoarse. It sent shivers up and down Hongjoong’s spine.

They didn’t kiss again for approaching footsteps sounded.

“Hwa!” Wooyoung called out, hesitantly. “The team’s waiting!”

Seonghwa stepped back quickly, rubbing his lips and passing a shaking hand through his hair. His eyes were wide and his cheeks were red, he cleared his throat and turned around to walk towards his friend.

“I-I’m coming,” he said, then coughed awkwardly. “I mean, I-I’ll be back in a second.”

Wooyoung stopped. “Okay. Is everything alright?” he wondered, concerned.

“Yes!” Seonghwa told him, his voice high pitched. “Everything is… alright. Super great, no need to worry.” He shot Hongjoong a warning look. “Not a word.”

Hongjoong nodded his head, unable to do anything else really; he still could feel the ghost of Seonghwa’s lips on his. 

Once the Ravenclaw was gone, Hongjoong let his head fall against the wall. “Fuck,” he muttered, bewildered about what had just happened. “What the fuck?” He passed a trembling hand through his hair. He could hear Yunho laughing at him; _no crush, huh,_ he said tauntingly with a grin.

He waited until his heart had calmed down and his cheeks didn’t feel as if they were on fire before he made his way back to the castle, not chancing a look at the Quidditch field, afraid he’d find Seonghwa staring at him, or something. 

When he got to the Hufflepuff Common Room, he didn’t greet any of the occupants, walking straight into the dormitory to crash atop his bed. Seconds later, the door opened and someone came in.

“Hongjoong,” Mingi said, his voice laced with worry. He sat down next to Hongjoong’s distressed figure. “Are you okay?”

Hongjoong groaned, his face already blushing again as he couldn’t get that damned kiss out of his mind.

“No.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No!” he whined.

Mingi shifted, patting his shoulder comfortingly. “Well, if you need anything I’m here…”

“Thanks.” He turned around, sighing. “Is it true that you have a crush on Yeosang?” he asked, hoping this would be a distracting topic.

Mingi sputtered, staring at his friend with wide and fearful eyes. “Why do you—Who told you that?”

“Yunho and Jongho kind of insinuated that you do.”

Pink dusted Mingi’s cheeks and he bit his bottom lip, glancing away from Hongjoong. “Um… I don’t know,” he answered. It wasn’t a ‘no’, like Hongjoong had expected.

“Oh.”

**~*~**

_Dear Mingi,_

_I am sure you’ve noticed by now, but your maker is seeking you out. I’m begging you, whatever happens, refrain yourself from giving in to your urges and stay put. Don’t place me into an uncomfortable situation._

_They’re hunting him down. I’ll inform you once he’s caught._

_I hope you’re doing well._

_Signed,_

_Your Aunt Mina_

**~*~**

He was given the task to make sure no one followed them out of Hogwarts that full moon night, which he had begrudgingly accepted. Yunho was right anyway, he was better at handling Mingi during his transformed state than Hongjoong. 

Thankfully, no one sneaked around the castle’s grounds, bathed in white-blueish moonlight with a thick layer of mist hanging low between the trees and by the shores of the Black Lake. It was eerie to say the least, the naked trees looked like skeletons that stood waiting in the darkness—what were they waiting for?—and the Quidditch stands were huge, indistinguishable shadows that stared over the pitch and surrounding grounds. 

If Hongjoong wasn’t so acquaintanced with the darkness and Hogwarts at night time, he’d be incredibly creeped out right now, but he just stood unmoving near the entrance of the corridor that lead to the third floor.

He should be grateful that for once Seonghwa had listened, but he couldn’t help the slight disappointment at the lack of a nosy Ravenclaw Prefect to keep him company—and make his heart and head spin in the most wonderful way possible. He shook his head, dissipating that thought; it was of no use.

He ran back towards the Forbidden Forest, where he could see the silhouettes of his friends moving around the edge of the forest, waiting for him, or that was what he thought. The scene changed the closer he got and he realized that something was incredibly wrong.

Hongjoong stopped in his sprint, nearly stumbling over his feet. Mingi was nowhere to be found, but Yunho was fighting with a werewolf, nastily growling and baring his teeth. It was the same strange werewolf Hongjoong had seen the past month. A concerning thought crossed his mind; was this Mingi’s maker? The one his mother and Mingi’s aunt had spoken about? 

Hongjoong didn’t waste any more time, he jumped forward to aid his friend. Yunho was looking rough, some scratched along his face and torso, but he didn’t back down. Hongjoong bit the werewolf’s calf, tearing at it in the hopes he would give Yunho a break.

The werewolf turned around to snarl at Hongjoong, kicking him harshly and making him fly through the air. Hongjoong landed roughly, nearly hitting his head against a rock, and stood up with difficulty. He couldn’t fail his friends now. 

The werewolf bit Yunho’s shoulder and made him fall onto his knees, twisting and turning in pain, a painful and scared whine escaping Yunho’s mouth. The werewolf threw him aside and jumped over his writhing body, then he disappeared into the Forbidden Forest, howling loudly. From somewhere came Mingi’s frightened answer.

Hongjoong looked at Yunho, slowly crawling towards him. They exchanged a silent conversation, Hongjoong nodded his head.

It was cold and he couldn’t stop shivering, but it didn’t take him long to find his wand. He swallowed, trying his best as he concentrated on a happy memory. His mother hugging him and telling him she loves him; Hongjoong laughing freely with Yunho and Mingi as they spent their summer days over at Yunho’s family house; flying over the Quidditch field with the wind caressing his face and the crowd cheering; the sound of Hongjoong’s own music dancing through the room and Professor Yonghwan’s approving nod… Seonghwa smiling at him without any of the negative feelings in his eyes—just adoration.

Hongjoong flicked his wand and cast his Patronus. The silver otter jumped a few times in the air until it stopped to stare attentively at Hongjoong. “Deliver this following message to Park Seonghwa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prepare for a very adventure packed chapter hah 
> 
> also, big thank u for everyone complimenting my writing. as a non native english speaker it means A LOT!! it was very challenging writing this bc it's not my style and then as well expanding my vocabulary and stuff.. so thank you it really motivates me :(( love you!!
> 
> \- jack💛


	17. The Maker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very action laden chapter, which is something I really struggle at writing still shdsks but I hope you enjoy it!!!!
> 
> TW: mentions of blood, injuries, and minor violence (it isn't anything heavy but just in case)
> 
> also, little side note: i'm glad ppl enjoyed that kiss, i tend to focus more on plot & friendship when i write and not much on romantic feelings/relationships or kisses, so that was very new for me sksksks i'm relieved it went down well

It was a full moon night and Seonghwa couldn’t sleep. His mind kept going back to Hongjoong and Mingi, and Hongjoong, and the fact that they were out there right now, and Hongjoong, and Hongjoong’s lips on Seonghwa’s… It was driving him crazy! 

He had given up on a peaceful night about an hour ago and was instead wandering the castle’s corridors alone, exchanging his Prefect duties with a seventh year named Lee Seoho.

Yeosang had offered to tag along as he couldn’t sleep either, but Seonghwa had declined the offer, preferring to be alone with his thoughts. He rounded the corner, bumping into one of the Gryffindor Prefects, they nodded at each other silently before continuing their duties in patrolling the corridor. Seonghwa was about to descend the stairs to the second floor when a shimmering silver light steadily made its way towards him. He raised his wand, his breath hitching as he waited expectantly and nervously. It took him a few seconds to realize it was someone’s Patronus, more specifically it was Hongjoong’s Patronus. 

The otter came to a stop in front of him, looking eerily serious for such a small and cute animal. “Seonghwa, I need your help. Come to the Forbidden Forest. Please,” was all it said before it turned around and vanished into the wall.

Seonghwa stood still on the stairway, one foot hovering centimeters over the next stair, as he let the message sink in slowly. Hongjoong was asking him for help, urgently from the sound of it. He was trusting Seonghwa enough to ask him for help, the thought made his heart expand and he felt a little bit funny as the realization sank in.

He didn’t waste any more time, shaking himself out of his thoughts. He turned around, almost tripping over the steps, and ran to the Gryffindor Tower, which was closer than the Ravenclaw Tower, and it was a lot easier to get into the Gryffindor Common Room. His loud footsteps bounced off the stone walls of the castle, waking up many of the paintings, which complained and chastised him for his disrespectful behavior.

“Sorry, important Prefect business,” he shouted over his shoulder as he went.

He encountered Sunmi, the Gryffindor ghost, lingering near a painting and talking quietly. She flinched the moment she saw him approach.

“Mr Park, what’s got you in such a hurry?” she asked, stepping away from a painting of a young princess, her cheeks were dusted with pink.

“I-I’m trying to…” He wheezed, breathing in harshly. A thought crossed his head. “I’m sorry to interrupt your, uh, date, but Miss Lee could I ask you for a favor?”

Sunmi looked at the princess, an apologetic smile on her face before she faced Seonghwa again. “Of course, what is it?”

“Could you fetch San? Tell him to wake up Jongho and meet me at the, er, Entrance Hall.”

Sunmi regarded him with an interested look. “Oh, are we sneaking out, Mr Park?”

He smiled, abashed. “Possibly, but please don’t tell anyone.”

Sunmi grinned. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Thank you. And again sorry for interrupting,” he said apologetically, bowing his head at the princess. 

She shook her head dismissively. “Do not worry, young Ravenclaw.”

Seonghwa nodded his head, bowing again, and then sprinted off to the next flight of stairs that led to the Gryffindor Tower. He was mildly breathless when he stood in front of the painting of the Fat Lady. She was fast asleep, snoring loudly and rather funnily.

He cleared his throat, hoping to get her attention, but she did not wake up. “Excuse me,” Seonghwa said in a loud and urgent whisper. She whined, but stayed with her eyes closed. “Ma’am, I need to get inside the Gryffindor Common Room.”

The Fat Lady opened one eye, at first she looked annoyed but it vanished quickly. “Oh, young man, what brings you here so late? Are you here to court someone?” She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Uh… no. I just need to get a student, for Prefect related business,” he lied.

Her smile dropped and she sighed. “Do you at least know the password?” she asked him.

“Yes. _Horklump Juice_.”

She stared at him, squinting her eyes and for a moment Seonghwa feared that the password had changed over the day and he would have to talk his way in, but then the Fat Lady nodded her head, sighing in a resigned matter, and the secret passage clicked open.

“Thank you,” he mumbled over his shoulder as he quickly made his way inside. 

He didn’t waste any time, climbing the stairs up to the fifth year boys’s dormitory. He crossed the room in huge strides until he stood by Wooyoung’s bed. He shook his friend’s shoulder harshly.

“Woo, wake up,” he whispered. Wooyoung groaned, swatting his hand away. “Wooyoung, come on, this is important.”

His Gryffindor friend blinked his eyes open, staring up at him tiredly. “What is it?” he asked, his voice hoarse with sleep.

“Hongjoong asked for help. They’re by the Forbidden Forest.”

For a moment, Wooyoung just stared at him with a confused expression, but then his eyes flitted over to the window, where the bright full moon shone directly into the room, and he jerked up, kicking his blanket off.

“Shit,” he muttered. “Give me a minute.”

“There’s no time, I’ve wasted too much already. Please get Yeosang. I’m meeting Jongho and San downstairs and will leave with them.”

“Alright.” Wooyoung nodded his head, moving to the chest standing by his bed where he had all his clothes in. “Be careful,” he whispered when Seonghwa was leaving already.

“I will be. You too.”

Seonghwa was out within seconds, climbing through the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.

“I thought you wanted to get a student,” the Fat Lady commented, an annoyed look on her face.

“I did, he’ll be coming out in a while.” He didn’t wait for her reply, dashing off to the staircase.

It didn’t take him long to reach the Entrance Hall, thankfully not encountering any of the other Prefects patrolling or Caretaker Baekhyun. Luck seemed to be on his side that night. A thought crossed his head and he pulled out his phone, texting Wooyoung a quick message. _Get the Felix Felicis potion just in case. It’s hidden in my chest, inside an old pair of socks (don’t worry they’re clean!)_

Jongho and San were already in the Entrance Hall, standing near the big doors leading to the Great Hall. The former was wearing a thick winter coat, his silver and green scarf wrapped around his neck, and a black beanie pulled over his head. He glowered when Seonghwa arrived, his arms crossed in front of his chest. San looked confused as well.

“Why did you call us here?” the ghost wondered.

“Uh, Hongjoong needs our help,” he explained. “I’m not sure with what, but it is a full moon night.”

Jongho’s anger dissipated and he parted his lips. “Oh… Do you think someone got hurt?”

“I don’t know,” Seonghwa told him, walking towards the door that lead to the offices, through where they had left the castle during the last full moon night. 

He hadn’t really given it much thought, too preoccupied with getting his friends and not being caught, but he supposed it was a possibility that someone had gotten hurt. That _Hongjoong_ might have gotten hurt. Seonghwa swallowed, trying not to let that thought affect him too much. They needed to get out of Hogwarts, that was all that mattered.

Without exchanging any more words they made their way to the small door, unlocking it with the _Alohomora_ spell, and silently hushed through. The corridor seemed somehow brighter compared to the last time and when they walked past Professor Lee’s office, there was light flooding through the small slit below the door. Seonghwa pressed his index finger against his lips to signalize his friends to stay quiet. They nodded their heads understandingly.

Thankfully, they made it out without anyone noticing that they were sneaking out.

The night was cold and eerie, especially more so knowing that something, possibly very bad, was going on. Seonghwa didn’t waste any time, sprinting in the direction of the Quidditch field, his Slytherin friends close behind.

“Where did Hongjoong say we should meet him?” Jongho asked breathlessly.

“The Forbidden Forest!” Seonghwa replied over his shoulder.

In the distance, the forest raised creepily, expanding far and wide, dark and mysterious. Professor Namjoon’s small cabin stood out as the lights inside were on.

“Okay, but where exactly by the Forbidden Forest?” Jongho asked and Seonghwa came to a stop, realizing that the Hufflepuff hadn’t specified.

“Ugh, that idiot,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “I’m not sure.”

Jongho huffed. “Well, great.”

“What do we do?” San wondered, scanning the area. “Should we try near Professor Namjoon’s cabin?”

Seonghwa shook his head. “No, that’s too risky.” He looked around, trying to recall if there had been any indication ever throughout the years of where they could’ve gone. “Maybe we could try the _Shrieking Shack_?”

Jongho frowned. “It takes too much time to get there; what if they’re not there?”

“I think we should wait on Yeosang and Wooyoung and split up,” San said.

“That’s probably for the best,” Jongho admitted.

“Alright.” Seonghwa nodded his head. “San you wait here on them, Jongho come with me. We’re going to check out the edge of the Prohibited Forest and see if we can find them—or any indication.”

“Be careful!” San called after them as he waited by the Quidditch field, his translucent figure shone eerily bright in the moonlight.

As Seonghwa and Jongho crossed the wild grounds, away from the path that led to Professor Namjoon’s cabin and the clearing where the thestrals resided, they heard a howl coming from the depths of the forest. They halted for a moment, exchanging a worried look.

“Maybe you could cast a Patronus to ask Hongjoong where he is,” Jongho said. “You studied them recently, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know… I’m not so good at them,” Seonghwa answered, biting his bottom lip worriedly, but he pulled out his wand. He tried to focus on anything happy, but it was hard when his mind was filled with worry and horror scenarios of all the things that could be going wrong. “ _Expecto Patronum_!” From the tip of his wand came a weak silver shimmer, it vanished within seconds. “ _Expecto Patronum_!” he tried again, but it was of no use.

“Okay, never mind,” Jongho said, squeezing Seonghwa’s shoulder in an encouraging manner. “Let’s go.”

They carried on, cautiously glancing around, their senses heightened to their surroundings in case there was something important that could indicate where Hongjoong and his friends were, or what might have happened. They reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, it was dark and creepy and the more Seonghwa stared at it the more he feared to see something that would terrify him.

At first they didn’t see anyone, but then, in between some bushes, there was movement. Seonghwa drew out his wand and motioned at Jongho to be quiet by pressing his index finger to his lips. Upon walking closer, they discovered it was a figure that was seemingly getting dressed.

“ _Lumos_ ,” Seonghwa muttered, the tip of his wand bathed their surroundings with white light, nearly blinding them as they had grown used to the darkness.

The figure flinched, a gasp escaping them, and when they turned around Seonghwa nearly dropped his wand.

“ _Hongjoong_?!” he asked, bewildered.

Hongjoong stood in sweatpants, holding a hoodie that he was about to pull over. His torso was exposed and Seonghwa refrained himself from letting his eyes wander over the Hufflepuff’s body, he really did not need that distraction right now.

“Why is he getting dressed?” Jongho asked warily. “Why the _fuck_ was he naked out here?” His tone was full of concern and confusion.

Seonghwa had no answer for that, he was just as shocked.

“Seonghwa. Jongho,” Hongjoong said after he had pulled down the hoodie, his skin disappearing from Seonghwa’s sight, who felt like he could breathe again. “Thank you for coming.”

“You called for me,” Seonghwa said, there was more he wanted to say but he failed to find the words, and maybe it wasn’t the right time either. “The others are on their way to the _Shrieking Shack_ … We weren’t sure where exactly you would be.”

Hongjoong paled. “The _Shrieking Shack_? That’s where…” He trailed off, passing a hand through his hair, pulling at it.

Above them the full moon disappeared behind a wall of clouds, turning the night even darker, the only light coming from Jongho and Seonghwa’s wands.

“Why don’t you start by explaining to us what exactly happened,” Jongho said.

“Well, we were on our way out like every full moon to accompany Mingi during his shift. He doesn’t like to be alone,” Hongjoong began explaining as he came closer to them. Seonghwa noticed with shocking horror that there was a nasty cut just below Hongjoong’s jawline. “But we were attacked.”

“By Mingi?” Jongho asked.

Hongjoong shook his head vehemently. “No, he would never,” he defended his friend fiercely. “There is another werewolf out here tonight. I think he’s been here for a while, but I don’t know why he didn’t strike earlier.”

“A-Another werewolf?” Seonghwa repeated, shivering. His eyes danced away from Hongjoong to focus on the dark and unknown forest expanding in front of them. What else was hiding in there?

“Yes. We’re pretty sure it is Mingi’s maker,” Hongjoong told them. “He ran off after Mingi, who was trying to lure him towards the _Shrieking Shack_. Yunho followed them. I stayed here to wait for you…”

“Wait, so, our friends are walking right into the danger?” Jongho inquired, paling. Hongjoong nodded his head. “ _Fuck_!” Jongho swirled around. “We must get to them. I don’t think they know how dangerous the situation actually is.”

“No one could have predicted that,” Hongjoong said, pulling out his wand and flicking it silently, light poured out of the tip. He walked ahead and Seonghwa and Jongho followed him. “We were warned Mingi’s maker would come back for him. We just didn’t think it would be tonight.”

“Do you think he’s going to, uh, harm them?” Seonghwa asked, clutching his wand tightly to prevent himself from shaking.

“I don’t know.” Hongjoong glanced at him, he was biting his bottom lip anxiously. “I hope not, but I can’t promise anything. This man killed Mingi’s parents,” he revealed in a whisper.

The statement hung heavy over them. Seonghwa felt guilt settle deep in him, all the times he had cursed out Mingi and called him names, all while he was an orphan with such a heavy destiny hanging on his shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, ashamed.

“You didn’t know,” Hongjoong told him. He tried to aim for a reassuring smile, but he was pale and his eyes were full of fear. “The only one here who should feel sorry is Mingi’s maker.”

“I hope he chokes,” Jongho said under his breath. 

They walked in silence towards the Whomping Willow, all of them too apprehensive to speak of anything. It probably was for the best too. Seonghwa was on edge, his shoulders tense, and fear deep in his bones. He thought of Yeosang and Wooyoung walking right into the danger. He had never thought that he could actually lose them, it was like losing one of his limbs. The thought provoked his eyes to sting with tears. He blinked furiously to keep himself from crying, he didn’t need that right now, he couldn’t break down, it would do no one good.

It felt like an eternity before they finally reached the Whomping Willow.

Hongjoong brushed past him, their shoulders bumped into one another, and Seonghwa shivered. He caught a waft of cinnamon and apple, and swallowed. The scent was comforting in its familiarity, a bit of warmth spread through Seonghwa despite the bleakness of the situation; when had Hongjoong become someone comforting to him?

The Hufflepuff Prefect muttered a quiet _Nox_ under his breath, then he pointed his wand at the willow, rendering it immobile with a spell. He turned around to face the Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

“Coast is clear,” he said, crouching to enter the mouth of the tunnel. Seonghwa followed close behind.

This time around, it was a lot shorter to reach the _Shrieking Shack._ It was oddly quiet in the rotten house and Seonghwa’s nerves only grew. He stood by Hongjoong’s side, staring at the Hufflepuff helplessly. Jongho was a few feet behind them, the light coming from his wand made the Prefects’s shadows grow long in front of them.

Hongjoong glanced around, shifting his position as he tried to find any indication where their friends could be at. His knuckles brushed against Seonghwa’s hand and even in such a dire situation Seonghwa felt shivers run up and down his spine, his hand twitched and a little firework went off in his stomach; he hated himself a bit for it. 

“Maybe they’re outside,” Jongho said hesitantly.

“Yeah, I don’t think anyone is in here,” Hongjoong agreed.

They walked to the door of the _Shrieking Shack,_ pushing it open with effort as it had been closed for such a long time and the handles were rusty. It gave off a terrible creaking noise. The clearing in front of the house was empty and an eerie quietness surrounded them. There was still a lot of snow covering the ground, it glistened in the moonlight, and several footprints indicated that there had been people there _very_ recently, walking away from the _Shrieking Shack_ and towards the small forest in front of Hogsmeade.

The three boys exchanged a look before they followed the footprints.

Seonghwa stilled when he picked up loud voices, it sounded like a fight, a nasty one. He didn’t waste any time before he sprinted upwards, chasing the sounds. 

The scene unfolding in front of him was the following: there were two werewolf clawing and snarling at one another, terrifying and impressive alike. A Labrador dog was lying on the floor a few feet away, whining in pain. (Seonghwa realized it was the same dog he had seen months ago enter the Hospital Wing, when he had tried to spy on Mingi.) Yeosang had his wand pointed at the werewolves, his eyes huge as he didn’t know what to do. Lastly, there was Wooyoung lying on the ground, unconscious as it seemed, San was kneeling next to him with a worried and helpless look on his face. 

“Yunho!” Hongjoong cried, sprinting towards the Labrador dog. He fell onto his knees, checking the animal for wounds. “ _Fuck, fuck, fuck_ ,” he was muttering under his breath.

Jongho gaped. “Yunho is an… Animagus?”

Seonghwa was just as surprised, but the shock subsided the moment San called out for them, frantically waving his hand in the air to beckon them over.

“Is he alright?” Seonghwa asked the moment he was bent over Wooyoung’s body, checking his pulse.

“He’s alive,” San said. “He got knocked out by the-the werewolf.”

Seonghwa glanced up at the two creatures. He suspected the bigger one was the maker, but he couldn’t be too sure, after all Mingi was tall himself. Hongjoong was still with Yunho, his hands shaking as he had his wand drawn out and was trying to heal the wounds on his friend’s body.

Yeosang had stopped trying to throw spells, it was too dangerous as he could accidentally hit Mingi, and instead had thrown himself into the fight, throwing punches relentlessly at the bigger werewolf, it had a huge scar crossing its face. 

Jongho had finally joined Seonghwa and San, searching Wooyoung for wounds as well.

“Seonghwa, please stop Yeosang from getting himself killed!” San yelled, his voice trembling.

Seonghwa stood up, warily marching over to the werewolves and his friend. Thankfully, the maker was too preoccupied with his fight to pay much attention to Yeosang, who was desperately kicking the werewolf’s leg while tears streamed down his face. The expression on his face was of utter fear and determination.

Hongjoong stood up quickly, running over to Seonhgwa, and grabbed his arm, yanking him back. They staggered and fell onto the snow. Seonghwa struggled out of Hongjoong’s grasp, slipping on the surface.

“Why did you do that?!” he asked, panic filling his voice.

“It’s dangerous!” Hongjoong defended himself, getting up as well.

“My friend is in danger!” Seonghwa told him, walking towards Yeosang again.

“Wait! Seonghwa, wait!” Hongjoong called out, jogging up to him. He had his wand drawn out and pointed it at the bigger werewolf. “ _Stupefy_!”

The maker stumbled backwards, finally detaching himself from Mingi. He nearly fell onto Yeosang, who jumped aside to avoid the creature to fall on top of him. Mingi recoiled, panting, as he stared at the other werewolf. Despite his wolfish form, there was a very human look in his eyes, full of concern and fear. 

The maker was bent over himself, his claws digging into the snow, and he was snarling at them, his eyes flitting over the group of teenagers, hate radiating off of him. He howled loudly, frightening them—Seonghwa flinched, nearly slipping on the snow—and then he jumped forward, but instead of attacking Mingi his victim was Yeosang.

The Ravenclaw boy let out a blood-curdling scream as the werewolf dug its claws into his leg, shaking it as if he wanted to tear it off, and then he sprinted on three legs in the direction of Hogsmeade, dragging a half unconscious Yeosang with him. Seonghwa was glad the werewolf hadn’t bitten Yeosang, he had feared it would.

Mingi didn’t waste any time and followed them.

Seonghwa stood still for a moment, his stomach tightening as a trail of blood followed Yeosang, his wound deep and nasty. If they didn’t hurry there was a chance he’d die and Seonghwa couldn’t let that happen. He heaved out a heavy breath, preventing himself from throwing up, and grabbed Hongjoong’s wrist to get him to move.

“Jongho. Send a Patronus to Hogwarts!” Seonghwa yelled over his shoulder.

“H-How am I supposed to do that?!” Jongho asked, his voice thin. “I haven’t learned that yet!”

“I’ll teach you,” San said.

Jongho’s answer got drowned as another howl broke through the cold air, making the hairs on Seonghwa’s neck stand up.

Another cloud covered the full moon, bathing the small forest in an overwhelming darkness, but Seonghwa couldn’t bother to retrieve his wand. He trusted his feet, following the dark splashes of red blood covering the contrastingly white snow. It didn’t take them long to catch up to the werewolves and Yeosang, they were by a clearing, Hogsmeade’s street lamps shining at the short distance.

Mingi was again fighting his maker, this time around winning as he was holding him down into the snow, biting his neck fiercely to prevent him from further moving. Yeosang was lying in the snow a few meters away from the werewolves.

“Go check up on your friend,” Hongjoong said, breathing loudly. “I’ll help Mingi.” He delicately removed his wrist from Seonghwa’s tight grip, but before parting he did squeeze Seonghwa’s shoulder in a reassuring manner.

The Ravenclaw Prefect sprinted over to Yeosang, falling down just a few feet away from his friend. He crawled through the snow, ignoring the sting in his hands from the cold, and crouched over his friend’s body. Yeosang was still breathing but he had lost a lot of blood. Seonghwa’s hand was shaking as he pointed his wand at the wound and tried to remember the healing spells he had learned over the course of the past years.

“ _Vulnera Sanentur,_ ” he muttered under his breath repeatedly until it finally worked and the deep gash on Yeosang’s leg started to close. Of course, it wasn’t enough, he would have to be brought to the Hospital Wing as soon as possible to survive this, and he would have to get checked if the lycanthropy had been transmitted. From the looks of it, he hadn’t been bitten by the werewolf.

A loud, painful howl distracted him from his friend and he looked up at the werewolves and Hongjoong. His racing heart soothed a bit as he saw the maker lying listlessly on the snow. Mingi was next to it, whining loudly as if he was crying, and Hongjoong was sitting on the snow, a shocked expression on his face. He was absentmindedly petting his friend’s head.

“Is he… dead?” Seonghwa asked, raising his voice so he could be heard.

Hongjoong turned around, flinching. “No, just unconscious.”

Mingi moved away from his maker, slowly limping over to Seonghwa and Yeosang. He looked hesitant, as if he expected Seonghwa to yell at him to go away. Now that the horrors of the night were slowly ebbing out of him, Seonghwa finally studied at Mingi’s transformed self for the first time. He had black fur, his limbs long and athletic, his snout was covered in small cuts with blood spilling out. His eyes, although bigger, resembled Mingi’s when he was in his human form, the same soft and dark brown color. He looked like a regular wolf, just a bit taller and with longer legs.

Hesitantly, Seonghwa reached out a hand, stopping centimeters in front of Mingi’s face, asking for permission. Mingi nodded his head and so Seonghwa passed his hand through the wet fur behind Mingi’s ears, petting him.

Hongjoong stood up then, walking over to them on shaky legs. “Will he survive?” he asked weakly, nodding his head at Yeosang.

Seonghwa dropped his hand and turned to look at his friend. “I think so, but we should get him to Hogwarts quickly.”

“I’m really sorry,” Hongjoong apologized then, Mingi whined in agreement. “This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t called for you—”

“It’s not your fault,” Seonghwa cut him off. “And if you wouldn’t have called for me, who knows, you might not have survived this night.”

Hongjoong swallowed, looking away. He put away his wand and kneeled down.

“Come on, let’s get him back to Hogwarts,” he mumbled.

With the help of Mingi they managed to distribute Yeosang’s weight on both of their shoulders, grabbing him tightly so he wouldn’t fall. It was an excruciating task as the snow was slippery and Yeosang was heavy, plus the adrenaline was starting to ebb out of their bodies, leaving them exhausted and weak. Seonghwa was trembling, tears that he no longer could stop rolled down his cheeks.

When they reached the forest in front of the _Shrieking_ Shack, their friends were gone, in their stead they found Professor Yoo, Professor Son, and Headmistress Min standing there, speaking to one another in hushed and distressed voices. Professor Son was the first to spot them, running towards them.

“Mr Kim! Mr Park!” He stopped right in front of them. He eyed Mingi warily, his wand drawn out. His eyes lowered to take in Yeosang’s injured figure. Panic grew in the professor’s gaze. “What happened to Mr Kang?”

Professor Yoo and Headmistress Min hurriedly walked over to them.

“Your friends said something about a werewolf attacking you?” Professor Yoo inquired, eyeing Mingi with distrust.

“Yes,” Seonghwa affirmed. “But not him, the werewolf that attacked us is by the clearing before you enter Hogsmeade. He’s unconscious.”

“He’s the werewolf that the Ministry was looking for. I am sure of it,” Hongjoong added.

“Then who is this?” Headmistress Min asked, nodding in the direction of Mingi, who whined once again.

Seonghwa hesitated, glancing at Hongjoong. It wasn’t his place to answer.

“Song Mingi,” Hongjoong replied, defiantly raising his chin. “The werewolf that attacked us was his maker.”

“Oh, my,” Professor Yoo muttered. “It’s best we get Mr Kang to the Hospital Wing. Your friends should already be receiving medical help from Madame Eunji.” She stepped forward to grab Yeosang with the help of Professor Son.

“Mr Park. Mr Kim. Please go back to Hogwarts, I’ll speak with you later,” Heamistress Min ordered before she ventured alone towards the maker. She did however cast a Patronus charm on her way, the silver lion vanished into the dawning night.

Professor Yoo made an infirmary bed appear on which they laid Yeosang. She did perform some quiet healing spells as well. The plan was to go to Hogsmeade, where a Hogwarts carriage would arrive soon to take them back to the castle. 

“Um,” Hongjoong spoke up, “I think Mingi should stay here. We can’t possibly have him walk through Hogsmeade like this.”

“Right you are, Mr Kim,” Professor Yoo agreed, eyeing Mingi curiously. “I shall stay with him here at the _Shrieking Shack_ until the sun rises.”

Professor Son nodded his head and then guided Hongjoong and Seonghwa to the small town. Yeosang levitated in front of them. He looked pale and worn out, there wasn’t just the wound on his leg but small cuts all over his face and arms. The walk to Hogsmeade was quiet, there wasn’t much to discuss, and everyone was too worried about Yeosang’s state to speak of the events, but the moment they mounted the Hogwarts carriage, Professor Son addressed the two Prefects with a stern yet preoccupied look.

“What you went through tonight was incredibly brave,” he said. “But Headmistress Min—as well as the other professors—should have been made aware of Mr Song’s condition. The school provides help for people such as him. He isn’t the only one with lycanthropy.”

Hongjoong swallowed, looking at his hands. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

Seonghwa was quiet, not in a place to speak about this. He didn’t know what he would have done if one of his close friends were to be a werewolf. He eyed the Forbidden Forest stretching out on their side and that feeling that he was being watched was so much stronger now. 

“I am not sure what Headmistress Min will decide after tonight’s events…” Professor Son continued. “I don’t think you will get expelled, but there will be consequences.”

“We know,” Hongjoong muttered, angry and ashamed. He sighed heavily, finally looking up at the professor. “But please don’t put too much blame on Seonghwa and his friends, they were only aiding us. I shouldn’t have called them for help. It’s my fault.”

Seonghwa clenched his jaw, wanting to argue with Hongjoong, but he felt a bit unsettled in Professor Son’s presence, so he kept his mouth shut. He did look at Hongjoong, though, wanting his attention on him so he could give him a reassuring smile; so that he could silently let him know that it wasn’t Hongjoong’s fault. As the Hufflepuff had said, it had been the maker’s fault that this whole mess had happened.

“I must say, I am surprised about this,” Professor Son said, pointing at the two of them. There was a hint of a smile on his face. “Not a friendship I would have expected to happen. During my career as a professor at Hogwarts, I haven’t met students such as you two, determined to make each other’s lives a living hell only to find you fighting off evil together.”

Despite how horrendous the night had been, Seonghwa let out a breathy laugh. They were alive, that was all that mattered.

“Yeah, well… Expect the unexpected?” he tried.

“Indeed.” Professor Son nodded his head.

Hongjoong glanced at Seonghwa, only for a couple of seconds, and looked away again. His face was covered in guilt and shame, and he was biting his bottom lip anxiously. Seonghwa just wanted to reach out his hand to place it atop of Hongjoong’s to soothe him, but he refrained himself. Instead he spent the remainder of the ride quiet, petting Yeosang’s hair.

He couldn’t wait for the sunrise to arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOF
> 
> yall we broke the 100k words mark........ i've never written something this long wow
> 
> \- jack💛


	18. Sunrise

The Hospital Wing was empty with the exception of the fifth years, San, the heads of the Slytherin, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff houses, and Madame Eunji. The sun was rising outside, the sky shifting from pitch darkness to a dark blue, the few scattered clouds were starting to tinge in pink and yellows; it was beautiful. Seonghwa couldn’t remember the last time he had been so glad to see the sunrise.

Madame Eunji was fretting over Yeosang, checking his wound and vital signs, a chest full of potions standing on the table next to Yeosang’s bed. Wooyoung and Jongho were together on one of the beds, hugging each other as they slept soundly. Lastly, there was Yunho, in his human form now, sitting on a bed as he spoke with Professor Im. Hongjoong and Seonghwa were escorted to take the beds by far the end of the room, next to Yeosang’s. Professor Son vanished with Professor Lee, most likely to notify a Ministry’s worker on the events of the night.

Madame Eunji whirled towards the Prefects, handing them each a potion. 

“To soothe your nerves,” she explained before she returned to tend Yeosang.

“Will he survive?” Hongjoong asked, scrunching up his nose as he smelled the potion. 

Madame Eunji nodded her head. “He will. Mr Park did a perfect execution of that healing spell.” She glanced at Seonghwa. “You should be proud of that.”

“Thank you.” Seonghwa ducked his head, taking a quick sip of the potion, nearly choking as the bitter taste traveled over his tongue—plus Hongjoong was staring at him in wonderment and it did things to his heart.

They stayed quiet, watching how Madame Eunji was fixing up Yeosang again. She did leave, saying that Yeosang needed to rest properly and would most likely wake up some time around the afternoon.

When the sun was peeking through the Hospital Wing windows, the door opened and in came Mingi with Professor Yoo. He wore a blanket around his body, he looked mildly embarrassed. His dark blue hair was an absolute mess and there were scratches as well as dirty all over his face. Madame Eunji immediately went to take care of him as Professor Yoo excused herself to fetch him some clean clothes.

Hongjoong sprung up from his bed to check up on his friend.

Seonghwa, who had been just lying in his bed and staring up at the infirmary ceiling as he went over the night’s events, watched the two Hufflepuffs hug one another tightly, relieve dancing on their faces. He glanced over to where Wooyoung and Jongho were sleeping. He couldn’t wait for them to wake up so he could speak to them. Part of him felt guilty to have dragged them into this mess. Rationally, he knew it wasn’t really his fault, but he could help those negative feelings nagging at the back of his mind.

San caught Seonghwa staring at his friends and shot him a tired smile. He was sitting by Wooyoung and Jongho’s bed, reading something. He stood up and walked over to Seonghwa.

“Hey,” he greeted him. “How are you feeling?”

“I am fine,” Seonghwa said, slowly, trying to put meaning to those words. 

“Are you sure?”

“I will be. Right now, I’m still shaken, but I’ll be fine,” he reassured his friend.

“I’m sorry for having been an utter ass regarding Mingi,” San apologized then, awkwardly shifting in his position. “I should have known better. Not all werewolves are the same.”

Seonghwa sighed. “I’m just glad we all made it out alive.”

San hummed. “Luck was on our side,” he said, smiling faintly. “Wooyoung told me about the _Felix_ _Felicis_ potion.”

“Oh.” With all the events going down he had completely forgotten about it. “I’m glad it worked.”

“Yeah, that was a smart move.” He hesitated, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I’m also sorry for being so secretive these days. I just don’t want you guys to get hurt because of me.”

“San, we’re friends. We go through thick and thin together, it’s not even an option not helping you.”

San blinked, his eyes shimmering with tears. It was always odd to see the Slytherin ghost show human reactions, it only reminded Seonghwa further that he was hiding something big. 

“I’m not—I haven’t really had friends in Hogwarts since… forever, pretty much. While I was a student, I didn’t really get along with my Slytherin peers, as I wasn’t big on the Dark Lord’s way of thinking, but I wasn’t welcomed with those opposing him either, since they thought I was a spy. You guys are my first friends. I cannot lose you.”

Seonghwa bit the inside of his cheek, wanting to reach out his hand and take San’s in his to reassure him, but he couldn’t do that. “We are your friends and we will never leave you,” he said, even if he knew that one day they’d die and their chances to become ghosts that could keep San company in Hogwarts were slim. Still, it was the best he could say right now.

“Thank you,” San said. “I’ll—Soon I will let you guys in, I just need some more time.”

“I’m glad you’re deciding to trust us.”

San smiled wistfully. His eyes travelled over Seonghwa’s face, taking in the wounds and his tired state. “Ah, I’ll best leave you to rest. You’re starting to look a bit like a ghost.” He put his cold hand over Seonghwa’s, hovering just centimeters from his, then he walked out of the Hospital Wing, but not before shooting a yearning look in Wooyoung’s direction.

Seonghwa settled back into the infirmary bed, shutting his eyes close the moment he saw Hongjoong walking over. He heard the bed next to his creak as the Hufflepuff Prefect climbed into it. There were some shuffling noises and finally a staggering sigh.

“Thank you,” Hongjoong whispered. “Thank you for coming tonight, Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa didn’t reply, pretending to be asleep, but his heart was racing in his chest and he felt an urge to reach out his hand to take Hongjoong’s in his.

He fell asleep not long after that, his dreams were plagued by terrifying werewolves and snow covered in blood; and then there was Hongjoong, cradling his face delicately as he pressed his pink lips against Seonghwa’s, mumbling soothing and reassuring things to him. Something so full of love and adoration. 

A warm and solid body pressed to his side, made him flutter his eyelashes open. The Hospital Wing was now completely bathed in the early noon’s sunlight, casting long shadows. Hongjoong was sitting by Yunho’s bed with Mingi, a Wizarding Chess board perched on the tall Gryffindor’s legs. Hwanwoong and Keonhee were sitting with them as well, a huge mountain of snacks lying on the bed. They were speaking animatedly.

Hongjoong must have sensed Seonghwa’s eyes on him for he turned around, smiling warmly at him. Seonghwa attempted to smile back, but he was still stuck in the haze of his dreams so he probably looked a bit mushy.

The body that had crawled into his bed turned out to be Wooyoung. Jongho was sleeping alone now, soundly snoring. Yeosang was still asleep, too, but he didn’t look as pale anymore.

“Hwa,” Wooyoung mumbled, snuggling close to him and pulling the blanket over their bodies. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“It’s okay,” Seonghwa promised him. He searched for his friend’s hand to hold it tightly. “How are you?”

Wooyoung didn’t reply, shrugging one of his shoulders. Seonghwa pressed his lips together, guilt consuming him.

“I’m sorry for dragging you guys out with me.”

“Don’t apologize. We’re alive, isn’t that all that matters?”

“Yeosang almost died.” Seonghwa blinked against the tears stinging in his eyes. “I know that I will have nightmares about this. Even if he survived, we didn’t make out unscathed.”

Wooyoung squeezed his hand. “But you’re alive. All of you are.” Seonghwa bit his bottom lip, refraining himself from keeping this discussion up, he was still tired. “How are things with Hongjoong?” he asked then, a small smile on his face.

Seonghwa could feel his cheeks flaring up. The memories of their kiss came back. He probably should tell his friends about it soon, but he wanted to keep it as their secret for a little while longer. 

“We’re fine. I guess we might become friends?”

“That’s good,” Wooyoung said, sleep pulling at his voice. “That’s really good.”

They fell into a comfortable silence and Seonghwa was lulled to sleep again by the hushed voices coming from Yunho’s bed.

Around noon, Madame Eunji brought them food to eat, checking up on them. Yeosang was still asleep, but she promised that his condition was good, he only needed a lot of rest as his injury had been deep, losing a lot of blood, and the shock of everything had made him completely weak and worn out. Seonghwa could breathe a little easier after that.

The whole day was spent in between waking up and sleeping as his minor wounds healed and he recovered from the trauma. 

It was sometime late at night when he felt Wooyoung’s warm body leave their shared bed. The Hospital Wing was mostly dark aside from the candles hanging by the entrance, casting little shadows around the room. 

Seonghwa watched his Gryffindor friend walk towards the door, his bare foot barely making any sounds on the stone cold floor, but Seonghwa could hear the quiet sniffles filling the air. His heart ached and he decided to get up and see what was troubling his friend. 

Hongjoong was sleeping in his own bed, looking peaceful. His gray hair was falling softly over his face; the bags under his eyes weren’t as bad anymore and his skin had returned to a healthy color. He had his lips parted, exhaling softly. Seonghwa felt his heart stutter in his chest and without thinking twice about it he reached out his hand to gently brush Hongjoong’s hair away from his forehead. Thankfully, the Hufflepuff didn’t react in any way. 

_He looks so beautiful_ , was all he could think.

Before Seonghwa risked Hongjoong waking up and seeing him stare creepily, he quickly walked towards the entrance. When he passed Yeosang’s bed he smiled as he found Jongho lying next to the Ravenclaw boy. 

Quietly, he pushed the door open, careful that it didn’t creak too loudly. He found Wooyoung not that far from the entrance, crouching on the floor, his back leaning against the stone wall. He was well hidden in the shadows, almost passing as a gargoyle, but his crying was an immediate give away.

Seonghwa tiptoed over to his friend, stopping shortly in front of him. He sat down tentatively, his body still ached.

When the Gryffindor looked up, Seonghwa’s heart tightened in his chest. He had never seen his courageous friend like this. It was as though Wooyoung had completely broken, all of his pieces scattered around the floor. Seonghwa always had thought that out of all of his friends he knew Wooyoung the best, as the Gryffindor had a tendency to be bold and honest; but now his brown eyes were swimming with even more tears, they rolled down his cheeks freely and over the several wounds marking his face. 

Seonghwa wondered for how long he had hidden this pain.

“I’m haunted,” Wooyoung said hoarsely. “I’m surrounded by tragedy and I am terrified that it’ll never leave me alone.” He sobbed loudly, but his eyes never left Seonghwa’s. “I allowed you all in, hating myself for doing so because death follows me.” 

Seonghwa felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. He felt wrecked after hearing this admission. He leaned forward and enveloped Wooyoung into a tight hug, squeezing him in the hopes that he’d understand he was loved, but Wooyoung didn’t give much of a response, crying his heart out.

“Death doesn’t follow you,” Seonghwa tried to reassure him.

“Yeosang nearly died tonight,” he said, “and all because I was unable to properly defend myself. Everyone around me is going to—”

“ _No_ ,” Seonghwa cut him off. “It’s not your fault. Nothing ever was your fault, Woo. You aren’t haunted or cursed.”

Wooyoung cried even louder, finally returning the hug. He clung onto Seonghwa as if his life depended on it.

**~*~**

The second day after the full moon night they were finally called into Headmistress Min’s office. It was big and a lot more modern looking than one would have expected. Her desk resembled one he’d find in a Muggle doctor’s office, with a modern desk lamp standing on top. There were dozens of paintings of previous Headmasters from Hogwarts, Headmistress Min being one of the few women that had managed that position.

She sat down on her chair, beckoning the students close. The heads of their houses were present as well. Yeosang was absent as his condition was still too weak.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong stood right in front of the desk, as Prefects and leaders of their respective friend groups they felt a major sense of responsibility regarding that night’s events.

“Thank you all for coming,” Headmistress Min started saying, giving them a stern look. “I’d like to start by saying that the werewolf that attacked you is in Azkaban, his court date has been moved to June, when all of you will be done with your exams.” Seonghwa heard Mingi exhale in relief. “Now, as for your punishment, I have decided—together with the professors—that you will not get expelled and neither will I remove your Quidditch privileges. As fair as that latter bit would have been, it is not your teams’s fault to have such reckless Captains.”

Seonghwa swallowed, letting out a distressed sigh. “Thank you,” he mumbled. 

Hongjoong clenched his jaw.

“Don’t thank me too soon, Mr Park,” she said. “You will all receive individual detention as well as group detention,” she revealed, but none of the boys protested. “The individual detentions will be in the hands of your respective heads of houses. The group detention will be split into two parts, I want each of you to write an essay reflecting on the events of the night and how you should have handled it differently; five thousand words. You did not just put your own lives at risk, but those of your peers as well—this goes especially for you Mr Song, Mr Kim, and Mr Jeong, as you hid the identity of a werewolf all these years.”

“Professor—” Hongjoong began saying.

“Mr Kim,” Professor Son cut him off, his tone hard.

“I am aware you tried to protect your friend, but here at Hogwarts we do not discriminate against those that suffer from the affliction,” Headmistress Min further continued. “All these years we could have helped you, Mr Song.”

“Sorry, Professor,” Mingi apologized. He looked small, his eyes cast downwards. “My Aunt insisted I should keep it a secret.”

The headmistress nodded her head pensively. “I’ll have a word with her.”

“Please don’t,” Mingi begged, looking up. He held a desperate look in his eyes. “I don’t—” He hesitated, glancing around himself. “I don’t live with her anymore. I was, uh, kicked out years ago.”

The statement hung heavy in the air. Yunho shuffled close to Mingi to hold his hand in encouragement. Hongjoong had his lips pressed together, anger flashed in his eyes.

“I understand. I want to speak with you afterwards, Mr Song, to see how we might proceed regarding this.” Headmistress Min looked at the Prefects again. “For the group the detention,” she continued, “you will pair up in groups, rotating from week to week, to fortify the bonds in between the houses. I am well aware of your rivalry and I think this is an excellent idea to put that behind once and for all.” Seonghwa supposed it was a fair detention, they were off a lot better than he had imagined. “The detention period will last until the year is over,” she added, smiling as she heard a few groans from the boys. Seonghwa tried not to show his despair. “Lastly, 100 points will be taken from your houses.” Hongjoong opened his mouth to protest once again, unable to keep it shut. Seonghwa felt a bit irritated, wanting to smack him upside down, he wasn’t helping their case. “100 points from each of you,” she clarified. Jongho let out a quiet gasp.

“Um, do I count?” San wondered, speaking up for the first time. “I’m not exactly a student anymore—”

“I have decided that you do,” Professor Lee told him. “You once were a student, Prefect might I add. You should have acted a bit more responsible, Mr Choi.”

“Oh.” San looked at his feet. “Sorry, Professor.”

“Any objections?” Headmistress Min asked then.

The boys shook their heads, muttering quiet a collective, “No, Professor.”

“Good, then you may leave to your respective houses. Except for Mr Song,” she dismissed them with a wave of her hand and a tired sigh. The heads of houses stayed inside as the students left.

When they were in the corridor outside of the headmistress’s office, they gave each other nervous looks, no one uttering any words.

“Um,” Hongjoong started, glancing at Seonghwa. His cheeks were pink and he seemed a bit hesitant. “Can I speak with you, Seonghwa?”

The Ravenclaw Prefect nodded his head, turning towards his friends and with only exchanging a look they understood him. Wooyoung did not leave without sending them a saucy wink, back to his regular self, no lingering pieces of that crying boy from the previous night. Seonghwa admired him for being able to mold his mood like that. When Jongho noticed the Gryffindor’s act, he shot finger guns at Seonghwa.

“Fuck off,” he muttered at his friends, feeling his ears grow hot.

San and Wooyoung’s obnoxiously loud laughter bounced through the corridor as they left.

“What did that mean?” Hongjoong asked once they were alone. Yunho had left with less theatrics.

“Nothing!” he insisted. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked.

Hongjoong looked down at his hands, he was twisting them nervously. The light from the candles hanging off the walls was flickering wildly, as if there were cracks in the walls that carried the storm from outside inside Hogwarts. Seonghwa waited patiently for Hongjoong to find his words, but as the obvious absence of a crowd in the corridor became clear to him, he started to feel nervous. Anticipation rose in him as he thought back to their kiss and he couldn’t help but wonder if their exchange would lead up to that again. Even more so now it felt dangerous to be close to Hongjoong alone these days.

“I know I’ve said this before, but really, Seonghwa, thank you for actually coming to help… I know our record isn’t the best so I would have understood if you wouldn’t have come.”

Seonghwa shook his head, swallowing. How was he supposed to let Hongjoong know that he would help no matter what or when, without making his feelings obvious?

“I think I would’ve come to help even without the truce,” he admitted quietly. Hongjoong’s head snapped up at that, his eyes wide with shock. Had that been too much? Seonghwa wondered.

“Really?”

“Yes. I admit I would’ve been wary, in the past, expecting to get pranked, but…” he shrugged. “Honestly, I can’t really say…. I don’t know what it feels like to hate you anymore. It’s as if the rivalry all those years—I can’t recall my thought process of back then. I—Sorry, I don’t know how to explain myself.” He let out a frustrated groan. “In this past month, a lot has changed and I think it has been good.” He moved a hand in between himself and Hongjoong. “I think this is good. Us being friends.” He swallowed nervously when Hongjoong just stared at him intensely without saying anything. “Sorry. I’m rambling stupidly.”

“No!” Hongjoong said, strongly, and shook his head. “I was just not expecting that. You caught me off guard.” He smiled a bit. “I agree, a lot has changed in a very short time. It’s been a bit hard knowing how to behave because we used to fight and then we just stopped, and I don’t know where to go from there.”

“I think we are doing a good job; we haven’t fallen back into our old ways, have we?” Seonghwa tried, smiling as well.

Hongjoong grinned. “No, we have not.”

It was something Seonghwa had yearned for for the past two or so months, to have Hongjoong direct that smile at him, to have the Hufflepuff look at him without any trace of hatred in his eyes, and now he had managed just that. His heart and mind were turbulent and he tried to subside the desires that grew in him.

The air in between them shifted the more they smiled at one another. Seonghwa grew aware of the little distance in between them, if he took two steps forward he would be nearly pressed against Hongjoong. He didn’t do that, though, he stayed put and waited for Hongjoong to approach him this time around.

(Were they ever going to talk about their first kiss? Seonghwa wasn’t sure he was ready to unpack that, even less _with_ _Hongjoong_.)

He knew he should probably leave for the Ravenclaw Tower, it wouldn’t take long until the professors and Mingi would exit Headmistress Min’s office, but he stayed where he was. It was as though Hongjoong held all the power over him.

“Where… Where do we go from here?” Hongjoong asked then, very quietly, but his eyes were on Seonghwa, his gaze intense and pinning him in place.

“What do you mean?” he asked hesitantly and scared.

Hongjoong didn’t answer, swallowing, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. Seonghwa chased the movement before he looked up again into the Hufflepuff’s eyes, then he slowly lowered his eyes towards his lips, which were parted and shiny.

Seonghwa still didn’t move, rendered immobile. All the forces in the universe had him frozen to the spot, the only thing he could do was watch Hongjoong’s lips. Oh, how desperately he wanted to kiss them again! But it wasn’t just that. 

Ideas and desires formed in the back of his mind, growing greedy and wanting so much more out of this. Unimaginable things such as linking his fingers with Hongjoong’s, spill to him his worries and dreams and insecurities, entrust him with his whole self.

Hongjoong let out an irritated sound, like a growl or a groan, and he stepped forward—two steps—until he stood impossibly close to Seonghwa. He leaned up, but didn’t kiss him just yet. Instead he looked directly into Seonghwa’s eyes, waiting for consent.

Seonghwa nodded his head once.

Hongjoong brushed his lips gently against his, it was hesitant and soft. Seonghwa’s lips were sensitive and this delicate kiss sent shivers down his spine, dizzying his mind. He angled his face to the side so that Hongjoong could kiss him better, and closed his eyes. 

His heart was beating fast, as if it wanted to soar out of his chest and reach the highest stars.

Seonghwa nearly crumbled when he felt one of Hongjoong’s hands coming up to sneak around his neck, his thumb coming to rest beneath his neck to hold his face as he deepened the kiss. His other hand came to stop by Seonghwa’s waist, the warmth of it passing all the way through the sweatshirt Seonghwa was wearing. He wondered, with a wild heart, how it would feel like on his skin.

Before they could get lost in the kiss, the sound of an opening door came and so they pulled apart quick as lightning. Hongjoong cleared his throat awkwardly, stepping away until his back hit the stone wall of the corridor. Seonghwa stayed where he was. He felt hot and cold, terrified to look at Hongjoong and terrified to turn around in case his face gave away too much. His lips felt swollen. His eyes felt as though they had written his feelings for Hongjoong across them.

He made an awkward movement of his hand, attempting to wave goodbye at the Hufflepuff before he fled the scene. 

His mind was a mess when he reached the Ravenclaw Tower. He went straight to bed, ignoring Changbin and Yeonjun’s questions, telling them he was too tired to speak.

**~*~**

It was a late Saturday afternoon and the sun hung low in the sky, filtering through the dirty windows of the greenhouse they were in. Professor Son had assigned Hongjoong and Mingi the task of cleaning the greenhouses as a form of detention. Hongjoong supposed it could’ve gone way worse, even if they weren’t allowed to use magic.

“I guess it’s for the best,” Mingi was saying, continuing their conversation. “This way I won’t keep putting you in danger.”

“You never did put us in danger,” Hongjoong protested.

“You know that’s not true.” Mingi sighed, scrubbing a pot furiously. “I did. All these years. Stop trying to defend me!”

Hongjoong looked up at his friend, hurt flashing through his eyes. “Sorry.”

Mingi sighed, stopping his task to look up at his friend. “Not only did my… condition put you and Yunho in danger, but Yeosang and his friends too. That’s a lot of guilt I’m dealing with here.”

“But shouldn’t feel guilty,” Hongjoong tried. Mingi was already opening his mouth to contradict his friend. “It’s so _fucking_ hilarious how all of us feel guilty, while your maker is probably at Azkaban, feeling so _fucking_ thrilled.”

“I doubt he feels thrilled with all those dementors around…”

Hongjoong rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“Can we talk about something else? I’m tired of pushing the blame around and arguing.” Hongjoong nodded his head, getting up to put his pot with those that they already cleaned. He stretched out his back. “I wanted to ask you something actually,” Mingi said then, watching his friend attentively.

“What is it?” Hongjoong asked, taking a short break.

“You and Seonghwa…” he started hesitantly, gauging his friend’s reaction. Hongjoong tried to remain unreadable, schooling his face into nonchalance, but Mingi was his best friend from childhood, there was nothing he could hide from him. “Did something happen between you two? That afternoon a few days ago you were behaving strangely. Yunho said you had an encounter with Seonghwa.”

Hongjoong stood frozen, staring down at his friend. His thoughts were racing. He hadn’t spoken with Seonghwa about their two kisses, they had just ignored them, pretending nothing had happened. On one hand, Hongjoong had welcomed that because he didn’t know how to deal with it, it was uncharted territory for him; on the other hand, he wanted desperately to speak with someone about it so he wouldn’t go crazy, because it was driving him crazy. He couldn’t stop thinking about it, especially after their second kiss. 

It was no longer a _something_ that had happened in the heat of the moment, it could become a routine.

Hongjoong swallowed, sitting crossed legged on the dirty ground of the greenhouse. 

“Um…” he began, wringing his hands together. “So…”

“What is it, _Joong_?” Mingi asked, his tone soft. He rarely used that nickname anymore. “Did he do something? Because I swear by Merlin that I will—”

“No!” Hongjoong interrupted him quickly. “No, he didn’t do anything. I just—We might have, er, kissed,” he confessed, saying the last word very quietly.

Mingi still heard, of course, and his eyes widened in surprise. “You… You kissed Seonghwa? On the lips?” he clarified, pot forgotten.

Hongjoong nodded his head, lowering his gaze in embarrassment. “Yes. Twice.”

“ _Twice_?!” Mingi leaned forward, whistling loudly. “Holy shit!”

“Yeah.”

“I thought Yunho was just being overly enthusiastic and optimistic… But you two are actually like, _involved_?” he whispered in amazement.

Hongjoong choked. “We’re not involved. We just kissed twice. It’s… It’s nothing, really,” he tried to assure his friend, trying to divert the attention away from it. This had been a mistake.

“Is it really nothing?” Mingi inquired. “You two have been weirdly obsessed with each other for a long time. It’s not really surprising for all that,” he gestured around wildly, “tension to turn into well, something more.”

Hongjoong blushed. Picking at a loose thread from his pants. “I don’t know what it is. It’s a fairly new development.”

“I recall, during Halloween, that you said if it weren’t for his annoying personality you’d consider him handsome,” Mingi reminded him with a cheeky grin, his initial shock vanishing quickly as he found a way to tease his friend.

“Shut up! You said the same thing about Yeosang!”

Now it was Mingi’s turn to blush. “Yeah, well, that’s like chasing smoke. He already likes someone.”

“Wait, hold on. Are you saying you _like_ him?” Hongjoong asked. He remembered Jongho’s words from some time ago, during _Frog Choir_ , when he had insinuated that Mingi crushed on Yeosang. 

Mingi shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“Yes! Of course it does,” Hongjoong insisted, leaning forward so he could place a hand on his friend’s knees. “If you like him, I can try figuring out from Seonghwa how to win over his heart.”

Mingi laughed bitterly at that. “No need. It doesn’t matter. His heart belongs to someone else. I’ll just get over it.”

Hongjoong stared at him for a moment. The sad pull of Mingi’s lips and the true ache in his eyes. He didn’t like it.

“Since when has this been a thing?”

Mingi looked out of the window of the greenhouse thoughtfully. The sun was setting, tinging the dark, cloudy sky in beautiful tones of orange and pink.

“I’m not sure. I think there’s always been an attraction towards him, especially since our third year. I had this whole talk with Yunho and it made me think, but I ignored it until this year. Somehow ,he started behaving differently.” He let out a sigh, looking away from the sunset. “I don’t know.”

“That’s a long time,” Hongjoong pointed out, not sure what else he could say.

“A long time uselessly chasing someone that already likes someone else.”

“You never know, his affections might change.”

“Yeah, they might,” Mingi agreed, but he didn’t seem very convinced.

**~*~**

The screams in favor of Ravenclaw were loud that Sunday afternoon, many of the Gryffindors and Slytherins wore Ravenclaw scarves in support.

Seonghwa gripped his broom tightly as he joined his team out on the pitch. The Hufflepuffs were already standing with Professor Im, who coached the Quidditch games, their yellow and black uniforms were fluttering in the wind. Seonghwa glanced around, at the stands, and smiled at the many encouraging posters people were holding. 

The weather was thankfully favorable, no strong wind and no thick, dark clouds covering the sky. Seonghwa inhaled the clear air and finally joined Professor Im and Hongjoong. It was strange facing the Hufflepuff Captain now, after their truce and the kissing. _Especially_ the kissing. 

He wouldn’t let it get in the way of the game; yet he couldn’t help the sharp inhale at seeing Hongjoong in his Quidditch uniform. He looked incredibly good.

“Alright,” Professor Im said, seizing up the two boys. Despite her small posture she was intimidating. “I expect this to be a clean game.” The two boys nodded. “Good, as per custom, shake your hands.” 

Seonghwa reached out his hand, taking Hongjoong’s gloved one. It was a quick handshake, the usual aggression in which they would try to break each other’s fingers wasn’t there that afternoon. Instead, Seonghwa offered a hesitant smile.

“May the best win,” he said. 

“May the best win,” Hongjoong agreed.

Professor Im waited for them and their respective teams to mount their brooms. She held the Quaffle in front of them, the whistle in her mouth, she nodded her head once. The whistle blew loudly, the players ascending into the air, the Quaffle followed soon after. 

Seonghwa was quick to fly towards the Ravenclaw hoops, stopping in front of them, turning around swiftly, but he was pleased to see that Yeonjun had the Quaffle secured under his arm, steadily flying over to the Hufflepuff hoops. Yerim was close by, dodging a Bludger Mingi sent her way.

Seonghwa searched the air for Yeosang. He had been dismissed two days ago and insisted almost incessantly that he was able to play. Madame Eunji had given him the go, but asked of him to take it easy, not to put his pride over his health. Seonghwa had talked with Yeosang the night before the game, making sure his friend knew that if they lost it would be all right. Yeosang hadn’t taken it well, getting rather irritated.

“Don’t do that,” he had said.

“Do what?” Seonghwa had asked, taken aback by the frustrated tone of his friend.

“Be all,” he had moved his hand in the tense air between them, “caring. It’s not—I don’t need someone to babysit me, alright?” 

After that Yeosang had marched into the dorms, his shoulders tense, his hands balled into fists by his sides. Seonghwa had stayed back in the Ravenclaw Common Room, going over their strategies, but it hadn’t been of much use, his mind replaying the conversation.

He hoped Yeosang wouldn’t go back to ignore him.

The Ravenclaw Seeker seemed to be doing rather well, flying over the pitch in circles as his eyes were trained on the game. Hongjoong wasn’t that far away, flying near Yeosang at a safe distance. 

Loud cheering drew Seonghwa back to the game, he watched Yeonjun and Yerim high five one another. Changbin was swinging his bat, grinning madly.

“10 points for the Ravenclaw team!” Jongho said, his voice amplified and sounding over all the cheering and yelling coming from the stands. 

The game progressed in favor for Ravenclaw, which was currently one hundred points ahead. The Golden Snitch hadn’t made an appearance, yet, and Seonghwa could see that it was frustrating Hongjoong.

Jungeun was swiftly flying through the air, passing the Quaffle between her and Yeojin while they dodged the Bludgers that came from Changbin and Yeeun. Seonghwa prepared himself, but Jungeun was a quick player, possibly one of the best Chasers Hogwarts had seen in a long time, and all Seonghwa could do was watch helplessly as the Quaffle flew through one of the rings.

“Another 10 points for Hufflepuff!” Jongho shouted. “That marks 80 to 170 in favor of Ravenclaw!”

Hongjoong stopped his broom so he could clap and send his players a thumbs up. Mingi grinned wildly, flying towards Haseul to high five her and smash their bats together like they did after each goal they scored.

The cheering was a good distraction as suddenly Yeosang dipped low in the air, a concentrated look on his face.

“Finally the Golden Snitch has made its appearance!” Jongho exclaimed fervently. “Yeosang is hot on its trail. Will this be a win for the Ravenclaw team?”

Hongjoong didn’t waste much time, following Yeosang close by. Seonghwa looked away from the Seekers, he needed to focus on his position as Keeper. If they scored enough points, it wouldn’t matter if Hongjoong got the Snitch, they could win. They needed to score seventy points in order to win.

Yeojin, Jungeun, and Jisung came flying straight at Seonghwa, passing the ball in between them. They wore confident grins on their faces, but then Changbin aimed a Bludger at them, messing up their formation, and Yerim swooped in quickly, grabbing the Quaffle. Twenty seconds later the Quaffle flew past Keonhee.

“Ravenclaw scores again, leaving the game at 180 to 80 points in favor of Ravenclaw!” Jongho announced. 

Seonghwa cheered loudly for his team. He chanced a glance at the Seekers and he found Yeosang with his hand stretched out, just centimeters away from the Golden Snitch. The anticipation in the stands rose, the cheering growing to a nearly unbearable volume. Then, almost too quick to see, Yeosang closed his hand around the Snitch, slowing down his broom. Hongjoong stopped his broom as well, a dejected look crossing his face.

“Ravenclaw wins!” Jongho shouted delighted. “Yeosang captured the Golden Snitch, granting Ravenclaw 150 points! Ravenclaw wins with a total of 330 points!”

Seonghwa grinned as he flew down to land near the Ravenclaw Seeker, most of the team had already approached him to hug him and throw badly aimed high fives at him. The Ravenclaw stands were suffocating any other sounds that might have happened around the Quidditch field.

Before Seonghwa could reach Yeosang, though, he caught a glimpse of Hongjoong. The Hufflepuff Captain looked crestfallen, his lips pulled downwards, disappointment clear in his eyes. His gaze met Seonghwa and he looked away quickly, flying down so he could land. Seonghwa felt his heart shake in his chest with fear; what if this marked the end of their truce?

“Hwa, we won!” Yeosang said over the team’s clamor, waving the Snitch in the air. His eyes sparkled.

Wooyoung and Jongho were running towards them, the former holding a huge banner.

“Yes!” Seonghwa said, smiling encouragingly. He got an armful of Yeosang seconds after landing. “You did great!”

When Yeosang pulled back his smile was so radiant, but Seonghwa couldn’t help himself when he looked behind the Ravenclaw team, where the Hufflepuffs stood in a defeated atmosphere. Mingi had his hand on Hongjoong’s shoulder.

Yeosang let out an annoyed sigh, but he didn’t say anything as Wooyoung threw himself at him.

“You caught the Snitch!” he said in a delightful manner. “You’re awesome, Yeo!”

“Thank you.”

“I knew you’d win!” Jongho exclaimed.

Seonghwa smiled at them, hoping it came across as sincere.

About an hour later, Seonghwa exited the changing room as the last of his team like he always did. He had gone over the mistakes they had done and written down all the errors they needed to fix to become the Champions. He was surprised to find Hongjoong lingering by the entrance of the changing rooms.

The Hufflepuff was out of his uniform and instead wearing tight black jeans and a purple hoodie. His gray hair was still wet, standing up in different directions. He looked hesitant when he approached Seonghwa.

“You played well,” he muttered. “You deserve this win.”

Seonghwa parted his lips in surprise. “Thank you.”

“I just wanted to let you know that our truce won’t suffer due to my loss,” Hongjoong said.

It wasn’t what Seonghwa had expected. He smiled. “Okay. That’s good. I was afraid that it might.”

Hongjoong shook his head, laughing. “No. I’ll admit that my ego might have suffered a bit, but I don’t want to—” he stopped himself, blushing madly.

Seonghwa felt himself blush as well and he was starting to shiver in anticipation.

“You don’t want to what?” he asked, taking a step closer. This time there was no one around to interrupt them—if they did end up kissing, that is.

Hongjoong seemed to read Seonghwa easily for he stepped forward as well. “I don’t want to lose this,” he said in a whisper, leaning forward to kiss Seonghwa.


	19. Dark Magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're getting several POV's in this chapter hehe
> 
> also i hope you're all safe and healthy!! remember to stay inside to protect yourselves but also those around you!!! i might not have many comforting words to offer but my dm's/cc's are always open!!

February was kind to them, showing rather warm temperatures, which was welcoming as the boys met up once again for a group detention. This time it was Hongjoong, Yunho, and Seonghwa meeting down at Professor Namjoon’s hut to help him weed out the small fenced garden near the hut, where he cheerfully announced they’d soon have a small family of unicorns to study before they were sent off into the wild.

The sun already hung lowly in the sky while the boys crouched in the garden, pulling out weeds as Seonghwa was helping Professor Namjoon fix the fence. The harsh winter had been unkind on the wood. 

The Ravenclaw Prefect wore a thin sweatshirt with his sleeves rolled up. He held a wooden plank, his arms strained, the veins standing out, and Hongjoong stared at him a little helplessly. He swallowed for what felt like the hundredth time, averting his eyes before he got caught. They hadn’t been alone again after the kiss by the changing rooms, but Hongjoong caught himself staring at Seonghwa often these days: in the middle of class or during the breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours. He hoped he wasn’t being as obvious as thought he was. 

“Hongjoong, pass me the bag, would you?” Yunho distracted him from his thoughts.

“Yeah, hold on.” He leaned forward, grabbing the half full bag to hand it to Yunho, who grabbed a fistful of weeds to put inside.

Professor Namjoon let out a cheer. “Excellent, Mr Park!” The fence was standing, circling around them. “I’ll go and put on a kettle for tea, it’s getting late and you should head back to the castle soon.” 

Seonghwa nodded, passing his arm over his forehead to capture some drops of sweat that were gliding down his face. His raven black hair was tousled, parts of it sticking to his forehead and temples, and Hongjoong thought he looked really attractive.

“Hongjoong,” Yunho called out, amusement attached to his tone. “Are you okay?” he asked.

The Hufflepuff turned to look at his friend, flinching when he found Yunho smirking knowingly.

“I am okay.”

Seonghwa walked over to them, crouching down right next to Hongjoong.

“ _Phew_ , who would’ve thought this would be so exhausting,” he muttered, helping them pull out weeds. His hand brushed against Hongjoong’s, who moved his away as if he had been burned. 

“As a Muggle-born shouldn’t you be used to gardening?” Hongjoong asked then, wanting to distract himself from the fire growing in his body.

Yunho snorted.

“I actually live in an apartment in a big city, we don’t have a garden,” Seonghwa explained, not bothered by the question and unaware of Hongjoong’s distress. “What about you guys?”

“I live in a house with a small garden, but my mom is very good at making potions to keep the flowers and plants alive,” Yunho told him with a shrug.

“My dad’s wife has a garden, he works a lot in it. I don’t really…” he trailed off, unsure if he was at a level of friendship with Seonghwa already where he could talk about his strained relationship with his father. “I don’t really join him much.”

Seonghwa glanced at him curiously. “Why’s that?”

Hongjoong hesitated, staring down at his gloved hands. Yunho was staring at him, too, an encouraging smile on his face. “I don’t have the best relationship with him,” he admitted, quietly.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Seonghwa said and much to Hongjoong’s surprise the Ravenclaw placed his hand on Hongjoong’s shoulder, squeezing it before he returned to the task at hand. 

His heart jumped twice in his chest and when he looked up he saw Yunho giving him a peculiar look. He wondered if Mingi had told him something.

“His mom is an Auror,” Yunho said then. “She’s super cool!”

Seonghwa parted his lips in surprise. “An Auror? That must be very dangerous.”

“It is.” Hongjoong nodded his head. “She’s really good at her job though. But sadly very busy too…” 

“Yeah, I get that, my mom is also very busy. I rarely see her when I’m home during the summer,” Seonghwa told him. “Especially after my dad’s company went bankrupt, she had to pick up more shifts at the clinic.” He was opening up so easily, as if they hadn’t been enemies for so long, and Hongjoong yearned to know more about him, but he was too scared to ask, fearing it might make him give away too much.

“Clinic?” Yunho echoed.

“She works in a dental clinic,” the Ravenclaw clarified.

“Oh, I see.”

They fell back into comfortable silence after that, but Hongjoong couldn’t help stealing glances at Seonghwa, wondering about his Muggle life, about his background, what he did when he wasn’t in Hogwarts… This sudden curiosity and need to satisfy it was almost overwhelming, he couldn’t remember ever wanting to know someone this badly—or wanting to impress someone so much.

When the sky was starting to turn dark, the door to Professor Namjoon’s hut opened and he beckoned them over with the promise for some tea and cookies his husband had baked. The boys got up, putting back all the gardening tools before they entered the hut.

It was small and cramped, seemingly useless objects standing around everywhere. It made one wonder if it was the professor’s home or of those scattered objects. The three boys sat down on the couch, taking the tea and cookies gratefully. Hongjoong hadn’t even realized how famished he was until then. He couldn’t wait for the dinner hour to come around.

“Professor?” Seonghwa called out hesitantly.

“Yes, what is it, Mr Park?”

“I wanted to ask if it would be all right for me and my friends to come down and see the unicorns once they arrive? I have never seen any in my life, as a Muggle-born you don’t really get many chances to see magical beasts.” 

“Of course, Mr Park. I’ll let you know once they are here.” Professor Namjoon smiled delightfully at him.

“Thank you.” He turned to look at Yunho and Hongjoong. “Jongho and I were thinking of introducing some of the magical creatures into our _Dungeons & Dragons _ campaign, mix it up a bit…” he trailed off, flushing in embarrassment. Hongjoong thought he was so incredibly endearing. “Um, sorry. I realize you probably have no idea what I’m talking about.”

“It’s fine,” Yunho reassured him. “Jongho actually talked to me about it, asking if I—and of course, Mingi and Hongjoong—were up to join you one day.”

“Oh?” Seonghwa’s eyes wandered over to Hongjoong, expecting his answer. “Will you? I mean, would you be up to it?”

Hongjoong’s hand jerked, nearly making him drop his cup of tea, as he turned his head to look back at Seonghwa. They sat next to each other and from up close he could see the different specks of brown in Seonghwa’s eyes that he had never really paid attention to until now.

“Y-Yes, we would,” he croaked out, embarrassed by how his voice broke. Would Seonghwa’s ethereal beauty ever stop affecting him? He wanted to look away, but the Ravenclaw’s gaze was unyielding, pinning him in place.

Professor Namjoon cleared his throat. “Ah, it’s already dark outside. I think it’s best if you three head back to the castle,” he said, chuckling. “ _Straight_ to the castle, no little adventures on the way,” he added sternly.

“Yes, Professor,” Yunho promised. He clasped a hand on Hongjoong’s shoulder to drag him upwards. “Don’t be so obvious,” he hissed quietly, only for Hongjoong to hear. “I’m getting secondhand embarrassment.”

He elbowed Yunho discreetly, marching out of the hut after a polite goodbye to the _Care of Magical Creatures_ professor. Seonghwa followed them out, walking right next to Hongjoong, the back of his hand brushing against Hongjoong’s, who resisted the urge to remove it and instead allowed that small and insignificant touch. He could blame the fierce blush on his face on the hours they had just spent working in the garden.

“I’m starving!” Yunho commented, patting his belly. 

“Me too,” Seonghwa agreed, his tone inconspicuous, but his hand was still brushing Hongjoong’s. If he didn’t know better he’d say the Ravenclaw was doing it deliberately.

“Yes, I am also… hungry,” Hongjoong added after a short moment of silence.

**~*~**

When the group detention between Mingi, Yeosang, and Wooyoung—doing a deep cleaning of the telescopes and other _Astronomy_ tools, under the observation of Professor Seokjin—had come to an end, they walked through the castle in exhausted silence. 

Wooyoung stopped near the staircase that led to the Gryffindor Tower. “See you at dinner,” he said, addressing Yeosang. “I need a nap!”

Once he was out of earshot, Mingi turned around to face the Ravenclaw. “What’s your plan?”

Yeosang shrugged. “I’m not sure. Probably read up on some material.”

Mingi hummed, nervously tugging at his sleeves. “Would you maybe want to play Wizarding Chess with me?”

“Huh?” Yeosang looked up at him in surprise. He contemplated the offer for a few seconds, a delicate frown between his brows. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt… I’m not really that good though.”

“That’s fine!” Mingi promised him. “Hongjoong is really bad too. I could teach you some tricks.” Yeosang nodded his head, smiling. “The game is in my dormitory,” he began, feeling even more nervous now. “But I can fetch and we can meet in the Great Hall.”

“No, it’s fine. We can play in the Hufflepuff Common Room,” Yeosang assured him.

Mingi tried not to smile too broadly at that. They started walking again, towards the Basement, crossing the narrow corridor below the ground. They were near the entrance of the Hufflepuff Common Room when they spotted two figures in the shadows. At first Mingi went on, set on ignoring them, he was too jittery about playing Wizarding Chess with Yeosang that nothing else seemed to matter, but then the Ravenclaw grabbed his wrist to stop him.

Mingi turned around in confusion. Yeosang’s eyes were on the two figures, a hurt look on his face. Mingi focused on the two people then and realization dawned on him. They weren’t just _any_ Hogwarts students: Hongjoong and Seonghwa stood badly hidden in the shadows, kissing each other. It didn’t seem deep or heated, but it was intimate.

He glanced at Yeosang, the hurt look on his face was heartbreaking. Mingi pushed him towards the corridor they had come from so that they were hidden in case Hongjoong and Seonghwa stopped kissing.

A part of Mingi wanted to step forward and interrupt the kiss, but that wouldn’t be fair on his best friend. Hongjoong deserved love just as much as any of them. He wanted to feel happy for his friend—really—but he was overly aware of Yeosang’s presence next to him. His small frame pressed to the wall as he breathed loudly. Mingi wasn’t sure if he was about to cry or not.

When it was clear that the two Prefects wouldn’t stop kissing any time soon, Mingi tugged at the Ravenclaw’s sleeve to take him away from the scene, Yeosang allowed himself to be dragged away. Mingi entered the first unlocked room he could find, pushing the Ravenclaw inside.

It was dark, darker than in the corridor as there were no lights at all in there. He stood still, still holding on to Yeosang’s sleeve.

“Are you okay?” he wondered, already knowing what the answer was going to be. “I could leave if you—”

“I don’t want to be alone,” Yeosang whispered into the darkness.

Mingi swallowed, he moved his free hand and let it hover in the air, debating whether he should caress the Ravenclaw’s cheek or let it drop. Probably the latter. His touch was still like poison.

Even in the darkness, he could make out Yeosang’s utterly broken look. Mingi opened his mouth; the words falling from his lips were surprising to both of them. He had never believed to muster up the courage to actually speak this aloud.

“I’m here if you want me,” Mingi said quietly—brokenly—his hand falling. He balled it into a fist, clenching it tightly. This was it, what he had always been so terrified of admitting to himself and those around him. What he had hoped to be just delusional thinking. It wasn’t.

Yeosang’s face morphed into shock, his eyes wide and his lips parted. A blush rose high on his cheeks.

“W-What do you—?” he stuttered, recoiling from the vulnerable and sad look on Mingi’s face

The Hufflepuff was so sure he’d get rejected because he couldn’t compete with Yeosang’s love; yet he had decided not to leave this unspoken.

“I know I am not Seonghwa, but I…” He faltered the moment he saw that Yeosang’s face hardened. “You’re incredibly precious to me, Yeosang,” he said his name very quietly, his voice about to break. He had never believed in a million years that he would stand in front of Yeosang and tell him _that_.

The Ravenclaw grabbed the nearest surface—a table filled with documents and quills—and took in a stuttering breath.

“I am _precious_ to you?” he asked, unable to process this.

“Yes,” Mingi responded without hesitation.

It felt as if the darkness around them grew, the lack of words coming from the Ravenclaw were turning Mingi’s heart cold, and he wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.

“I thought you hated me,” Yeosang muttered.

“I…” Mingi hesitated, thinking about the development of his feelings over the past months—maybe even years—regarding the Ravenclaw boy. “I’m not sure I ever did. My feelings towards you are… confusing. All I know is that _now_ you are important to me—have been for a while—and I know it’s a shot in the dark because you love Seonghwa, but I hope you could at least consider me.”

Again there was a silence following his words, but Yeosang was staring up at him. The white of his eyes stood out starkly in the darkness, his lips parted as he took in the Hufflepuff’s words.

“I don’t… You’re _confusing_ me,” Yeosang finally said, his tone held slight irritation, but Mingi swore he could hear something else lingering there.

His heart was beating fast as he wasn’t sure where they’d go from there.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, his voice thick with emotions. 

He always tried hard to put up a strong front, only lowering his walls around his friends, but Yeosang had a way of making him strip down all his defenses and showing himself wholly vulnerable—for the better or the worse.

“Can I… Can I try something?” Yeosang asked then, stepping closer to him.

Mingi nodded his head, only belatedly realizing that it was dark and the Ravenclaw probably couldn’t see him. “Yes. _Anything_ ,” he muttered, holding his breath as Yeosang inched even closer.

Mingi stepped back until his lower back hit a desk behind him, he gripped the edge tightly as Yeosang came impossibly close to him. The tips of his shoes bumped against Mingi’s, his head somewhere near the Hufflepuff’s throat. He could feel Yeosang’s tickling breath on his collarbones. 

Yeosang stood up on his tiptoes, his hands coming up, pressing against Mingi’s chest to stabilize himself. He stared up at him, the seconds stretching out as the silence grew unbearably loud. Mingi could feel his heart beat loudly and fast in his chest, the Ravenclaw could probably feel it beneath the palm of his hand. Mingi didn’t mind, though, he wanted— _needed_ —Yeosang to know how much he was affecting him. 

When the Ravenclaw’s lips brushed against the Hufflepuff’s, it was awkward and hesitant.

Mingi’s heart stopped anyway, his breath hitching, and he closed his eyes shut, not daring to move. He allowed Yeosang to explore his mouth tentatively, his hands fisting the material of Mingi’s shirt tightly as he pressed more against him. 

The Ravenclaw’s lips were a bit chapped and dry, but Mingi did not care. This was so much more than he had ever thought of getting. He gripped the edge of the desk even tighter when Yeosang, very hesitantly, deepened the kiss by running the tip of his tongue over Mingi’s bottom lip. 

The Ravenclaw let out an annoyed noise, pulling away a bit. 

“Is this your first kiss?” he asked in a low voice.

Mingi blinked down at him, gathering his thoughts. “N-No?” he answered in a squeak.

“Then kiss me back, you fool.”

“Oh, right.” Mingi blushed in embarrassment, finally moving his hands to let them rest on Yeosang’s waist. He leaned down to take the initiative this time.

It felt different this time, with both of them kissing fervently. Mingi was forgetting everything around him, just focusing on the movement of their lips brushing against one another. When Yeosang tried again to run his tongue over Mingi’s bottom lip, the taller boy swallowed the gasp that wanted to escape, parting his lips to allow the kiss to deepen.

He didn’t believe his heart would survive this with how loud it was beating in his chest, he would suffer from cardiac arrest. 

He pressed his fingertips into the fabric of Yeosang’s shirt and angled his face to the side to be able to kiss him better, and in a spurt of braveness he decided to bite down on Yeosang’s lower lip.

The reaction Mingi got wasn’t the one he had expected: Yeosang’s breath hitched and he pulled away forcefully, stumbling backwards as he detached himself from the tall Hufflepuff. Mingi’s hands fell by his sides, wanting to reach out again, but he didn’t want to do anything that would make Yeosang uncomfortable.

When the Ravenclaw spun around and fled the classroom, Mingi was left alone with the loud beat of his heart and the darkness around him. He let out a long sigh, trying to process what had just happened.

**~*~**

When the boys reunited in the empty classroom by the fourth floor, there was an awkward and tense air surrounding them which only Yunho and Jongho seemed oblivious to—or were ignoring in favor of making this work. The smaller Gryffindor didn’t appear to be too bothered either, but he was incredibly loyal to his friends so when Yeosang very pointedly ignored Mingi, so did Wooyoung, and when Seonghwa flinched the moment Hongjoong sat next to him, Wooyoung squinted suspiciously.

To everyone’s surprise San was with them to watch them play. Seonghwa had the feeling he was trying to make up all the times he had bailed on them that year, for his secrecy regarding what was going on with him, and his many secrets. 

Jongho walked up to a box standing in the room, it was one of the few objects that gave away this room was in use, everything else looked dust covered and unused, as if time had stopped in there the moment the classroom had stopped being used.

“So this is the game,” he said, putting the box on one of the tables—it was clean and so were the chairs pulled around it. He opened the box to retrieve several objects as the rest of the group took seats awkwardly. “ _Dungeons & Dragons_,” he informed the newcomers. “Has anyone ever played this before?” he asked them.

Unsurprisingly, Yunho raised his hand. “I once did a few years ago. I don’t really remember much.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll explain it thoroughly and do a little quest, nothing too complicated,” Jongho reassured him. He turned to look at Yeosang. “Can you start explaining it to them, Yeosang? You’re the best at describing it.”

The Ravenclaw hesitated, glancing at Mingi, but he took in a long breath, grabbing their character sheets to spread them out on the table, and began explaining _Dungeons & Dragons _ to their new friends. Hongjoong looked mildly confused, frowning at the stats and dice. He asked for permission to inspect them. Mingi just nodded his head, staring at Yeosang in awe. Seonghwa wasn’t sure Mingi was even listening.

This evening would surely be entertaining _and_ disastrous on equal parts, he decided.

“We all have our own dice, but we can share,” Yeosang said, grabbing his velvet bag to push it towards Mingi. There was something in his eyes, as if he was checking up on the Hufflepuff. Mingi took them, giving him a little smile.

“Are you sure you don’t want to play?” Wooyoung asked San. 

“I am sure,” the ghost said. “It’s entertaining to just watch.”

“I’ll be the dungeon master for today,” Jongho announced, no complaints came in to that, so he searched for the guide book for the quest he prepared beforehand as Yeosang, Wooyoung, and Seonghwa helped the others set up their characters.

About an hour later, they were finally ready to begin their quest.

Jongho cleared his throat, dramatically, and looked at the six boys sitting in front of him. San was right next to him, an amused smile playing on his lips. “You are travelling through the Forest of Guandelia. They are infested with dangerous, but incredibly stupid, scavengers. You’ve heard they have been attacking a small village nearby, taking goods and abducting children…” he began telling.

“That’s obscure,” Yunho muttered, interrupting the Slytherin. Jongho sighed, shooting him a look. “Sorry.” He held up his hands defensively. “No more interrupting.”

The round was slow and with a lot of breaks to accommodate Mingi, Hongjoong, and Yunho as they kept having questions and troubles getting the hang of it, but Seonghwa didn’t really mind. It was fun to bond with them in such an unconventional setting. Never in a billion years would he have thought to find himself playing _Dungeons & Dragons _ with Hongjoong, laughing in delight and bickering in a friendly manner.

It was dangerous, though, as he often found himself slipping into this strange territory that could be considered _flirting_ , and he knew Wooyoung and Jongho had picked up on it, shooting him amused and low key judgemental looks. Wooyoung even jabbed him on one occasion, when Seonghwa kept insisting that Hongjoong’s character was handsome and should use his charms to get past some boss, but those lines were easily blurred, and he wasn’t sure anymore if he was talking about the game or just showering the Hufflepuff Prefect in compliments.

“Alright,” Jongho interrupted them once again, rolling his eyes fondly. “If Seonghwa over here is quite done, I think it’s time for Hongjoong to decide what his move should be—if he even decides to act at all.”

“Right, sorry.” Seonghwa ducked his head, hating that he could feel his ears turn red.

Hongjoong coughed uncomfortably. “I, uh, I’ll go with what Seonghwa said,” he stuttered out.

Seonghwa should be used by now to hear his name fall from Hongjoong’s lips, but it still caught him off guard each time. There was something so precious and intimate about it, even more so with all their friends present to hear it. Seonghwa hoped his heart would calm down soon.

“So you will try to speak with these very stupid scavengers? That have clearly shown not to really listen to words?” Jongho inquired, his eyebrows raised.

“Yes.” Hongjoong nodded his head, glancing at Seonghwa for help.

“Well, then, toss your dice,” Jongho indicated, gesturing at one of the dice.

Hongjoong did just that, landing a fairly high number. He smiled proudly at Seonghwa, looking away seconds later. “Now what?” he asked.

“To your misfortune, these scavengers don’t really understand what you’re trying to say and just see you as an enemy… So they attack. You all need to get ready for a battle scene,” Jongho explained excitedly.

“Fucking great,” Wooyoung muttered. “If you would have listened to me and just let me play a magic trick, they would have been terrified of us…” he complained.

“You don’t know that,” Seonghwa defended Hongjoong.

Wooyoung muttered something under his breath, rolling his battle dice.

“I’m sorry,” Hongjoong apologized, apprehensively eyeing the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

“Nah, don’t worry,” Jongho reassured him. “They get very into the game, but it’s all just playful banter.”

They ended the battle scene successfully and found the abducted children, plus a very nice chest full of gold.

“So…” Mingi started slowly as he helped them put away the game. “This is what you’ve been playing all these years.”

“Yes.”

“I have to admit, it’s quite fun,” he said, guilt crossing his face. “I’m sorry for destroying one of your guide books…”

Seonghwa shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. They were different times.”

Mingi hummed. “Still, we acted really terribly.”

“So did we,” Wooyoung jumped in. “Let’s just agree to put it all behind us, shall we?” He removed his reading glasses to clean them with a spell before he placed them on his head again.

“We shall,” Mingi agreed, earning a few nods from around the room.

“Next time I might consider joining,” San suddenly spoke up, surprising them. Wooyoung gave him a magnificent smile.

“Really?” the Gryffindor asked.

“Yeah. I might have misjudged it all those years ago,” he confessed. “You all seemed to have a lot of fun. I don’t want to miss out on that…” he said, smiling a tad sadly.

“The more the merrier, right?”

The eight boys left the classroom, their ways separating as they still had some time before dinner. Mingi and Yunho said something about a _Herbology_ essay they needed to finish so they made their way to the Library. Wooyoung grabbed Yeosang’s wrist, his eyes screaming something that frankly only Yeosang knew how to understand—maybe San too. Jongho excused himself, saying he would leave the game materials in his room. 

San squinted his eyes, tilting his head at the two Prefects. He smiled teasingly. “I guess I also have some urgent matters to attend, tragically leaving you two alone.” He floated away, passing through the nearest wall.

Seonghwa pressed his lips together, embarrassment settling deep into his bones. He was very scared to face Hongjoong then, fearing the Hufflepuff might catch up on his nerves and hear the butterflies in Seonghwa’s stomach.

Seonghwa laughed awkwardly, scratching his neck. When he dared to look at Hongjoong he found him to be just as tense, avoiding Seonghwa’s eyes. The Hufflepuff was pulling at the sleeves of his sweatshirt unnecessarily, just an excuse to be doing _something_ with his hands.

“Did you have fun?” Seonghwa finally dared to ask.

Hongjoong glanced up, smiling faintly. “Yes. I had a lot more fun than I thought. No offense.”

“None taken.”

They started walking at the same time in no specific direction, just towards the staircase. Seonghwa didn’t have anything to do that afternoon, but he didn’t know what to say to justify why he and Hongjoong should spend some more time together—at least not without making it obvious that he had a crush.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to another round,” Hongjoong said then. “Some day in the near future.”

“That’s… That’s great. Yes. Cool!” Seonghwa said, clumsily, nodding his head. “We should do that.”

Hongjoong grinned. “Yes.”

They stopped by the end of the corridor, it was mostly empty and quiet up there. Most of Hogwarts’s students were in the Great Hall, the Library, their respective houses, or some were outside even. There was no one around and Seonghwa already had an idea forming in his mind, but he was scared it would be asking for too much. And he didn’t know how to ask for it without blushing too madly or giving away a fraction of his feelings.

“Um, so…” he started greatly, fiddling with his fingers. He pulled at his fringe, wishing it would be longer and hide his face more. “I was wondering—”

“I’m sorry, I actually just remember I have—I’ve got some, like uh, homework to finish,” Hongjoong interrupted him, stumbling over his words. 

“Oh.” Seonghwa breathed out, watching his figure leave the corridor quickly. 

His heart sank and hurt. He felt like crying. He had been so foolish for believing Hongjoong would reciprocate his feelings, or at least be enthusiastic about the kissing. Seonghwa was, after all, the only fool in play, who had fallen in love with his rival.

Seonghwa sat down on the floor of the corridor, a dejected and hurt sigh escaping him. It didn’t take long for the tears to start rolling, he rubbed at his eyes angrily. 

_I’m so stupid,_ he thought.

**~*~**

Before going to bed, Yeosang and Seonghwa sat cozily in front of the Ravenclaw Common Room fireplace. A fire cackled softly, the flames dancing. Yeosang was sprawled onto one of the seats, while Seonghwa sat on the couch. Most of the house’s residents were already sleeping, giving them the privacy they wanted.

Seonghwa cleared his throat. “I have something to tell you,” he said quietly.

Yeosang cocked his head to look at him, resting his cheek on the seat’s armrest. “What is it?”

“I didn’t want to admit this sooner because… it’s weird. _Very_ weird,” he began, swallowing. Yeosang gave him a sad yet encouraging smile. “I noticed some time ago, but I didn’t want it to be real… In all honesty it’s a nightmare! But after recent developments I don’t think I can keep this a secret any longer—”

“It’s okay, you can tell me,” Yeosang muttered sleepily. Seonghwa had a feeling his friend already knew what it was about. 

Was he so transparent?

Seonghwa inhaled and exhaled, gathering up all the courage he could find. “I have a crush on… Hongjoong,” he confessed quietly. He felt a rushing noise in his ears. _Oh, god,_ he thought. His heart sunk the moment the silence spread out. This was horrible. “I swear I tried not to, but—”

“It’s okay, Seonghwa,” Yeosang finally told him. He sighed, sitting up straight. “I sort of guessed.”

“Did Jongho or Wooyoung tell you?”

“They didn’t need to,” he answered. “You are very open when it comes to your emotions.”

Seonghwa let out a long sigh. Now all of his friends were in the known. Well, San wasn’t, but Seonghwa had a hunch Wooyoung had told him—or would some time soon. The Gryffindor could hardly keep secrets from San.

“When exactly did this happen?” Yeosang asked after a short silence.

“I don’t know. Halloween? Maybe even before that…” Seonghwa admitted. He shifted so he could look at his friend, but Yeosang had a perfectly blank expression. It was hard to tell whether he was supportive or not.

“I guess it was inevitable.”

“What do you mean?” Seonghwa asked.

“Well, you two have been dancing around each other for such a long time. It was either that or killing one another… And,” he hesitated, a heavy sigh escaping him, “this seems like the better option.”

“Do you think Hongjoong feels the same?” Seonghwa asked very quietly. He felt small then, not wanting his hope to sound too loud, but he wanted to hear his best friend’s thoughts on this. It already was a huge comfort to know that all of them had accepted his feelings. He knew they would’ve, they loved him, but it still had made him nervous. Even if Yeosang’s stance was hard to read, Seonghwa knew that he’d come around. They were best friends, they’d walk through hell and back for each other.

“I don’t know, he’s hard to read,” Yeosang replied, scratching his neck awkwardly. “Maybe he does… I’ll help you court him—or whatever.”

“Thank you,” Seonghwa said, his heart hurting in the best way. “It means a lot.” He couldn’t help the tears that spilled out of his eyes, or the sniffle that followed.

“Are you crying?” His friend shot him a funny look. 

“A little. This has been a journey of emotions. I was really scared you would get angry at me.”

Yeosang looked guilty then, his face transforming from that scary blankness into a reassuring smile. “Sorry. I was—I had to work through some personal stuff. I would never get angry at you for falling in love.” He leaned forward to place his hand on Seonghwa’s, squeezing it tightly. “I love you, Seonghwa,” he said. Something about those words felt different from all the other times he had said them; it was quieter and his face was serious, unspoken words and sentiments swimming in his eyes.

Seonghwa wondered then about the possibility of Yeosang meaning those words in a different manner from Seonghwa, but that couldn’t be; could it?

“I love you, too,” he whispered back hoarsely. 

Finally, having admitted his feelings for Hongjoong felt liberating. He had no idea where they would lead him and if Hongjoong would ever feel the same, but for now this would have to do. Their stolen kisses and the slow friendship building up had to be enough for Seonghwa, he shouldn’t become too greedy.

**~*~**

As per usual with his housemates, Jongho was chilling by the Great Lake that Saturday afternoon. The weather was looking Spring-like already and Jongho had gotten brave enough to remove his shoes, roll up his dress pants, and bathe his toes in the cold waters of the lake. 

Felix was lying on the ground, eating one Chocolate Frog after another as he complained about the pain.

“I hate this!” he called out for the uptenth time.

“At least this time we’re in sync,” Eunbin muttered, offering her fist to bump his.

Felix stared at her fist, raising his hand to bump it. “I hate it though.”

“You’re starting testosterone soon, aren’t you?” Eunbin asked.

“Yes, but the waiting is excruciating…”

She patted his knee sympathetically. “I have about forty years until menopausa, you’re lucky you’re getting a quick way out.”

“That’s true,” Felix sighed.

Jongho turned around to walk back to his friends, his feet full of sand as he let himself fall down next to them.

“At least you can change your appearance at will, that has to count for something?” He tried to cheer up his friend’s mood.

“Yeah.” Felix offered one of the Chocolate Frogs to Jongho, who took it gratefully. “I can’t imagine what it must be like for others… Or if I would’ve been born a Muggle.”

Jongho stared at the Merlin card he got, tossing it to where his belongings were lying. He’d give it to Yunho later. 

“I’ve read about this one spell against pain,” he began, recalling a very intense session of research at the Library for an essay a couple of days ago. “Would you like me to try it out?”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Eunbin said warily.

“Please do, this is horrible. Can my uterus _fucking_ chill?”

Eunbin pulled a face, but didn’t comment further on it, watching Jongho with interest as he grabbed his wand from his backpack. He pointed it at Felix, remembering the exact words and movement of the wand.

Just as he was about to perform it he heard that so familiar, guttural voice whispering in his mind. He had tried to ignore it, but these days it became harder and harder to pretend it wasn’t there and that there wasn’t something _very_ wrong with him.

As he performed the spell, the whisper took over and a different spell crossed his lips. “ _Invisibilia Cruciamen_.”

Felix’s eyes widened and he curled up on himself, clutching his torso tightly as he exhaled painfully. Eunbin leaned forward, alarmed.

“What did you do?” she asked, glancing at Jongho with concern.

“I don’t… I don’t know,” he whispered, dropping his wand. He moved towards his friend, but Felix was now writhing on the floor in pain.

“Go get help!” Eunbin cried urgently.

Jongho got up, his legs shaking, and he dashed in the direction of Hogwarts. The whisper in his mind was rejoiced at this turn of events, praising him for having hurt his friend. Tears welled up in his eyes as fear took over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a trip uff
> 
> also i've only played dungeons&dragons once so please ignore if this is a really shitty example sdhjsds i tried my best
> 
> \- my [twitter](https://twitter.com/hhhjoong) ^^  
> \- if you have any questions this is my [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/mist_)!! 
> 
> \- jack💛


	20. Prophecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to update twice this weekend but i really wasnt here mentally lmao anyway ! will try to update soonish !! stay healthy stay safe!!!
> 
> btw thank you for 555 kudos!!!!💛💛

The day San called for them was the last Saturday of February, an hour before dinner, and when Seonghwa read Jongho’s text message, urging them to come down to the Slytherin Common Room as San had requested their presence, he felt anxious and curious alike. He glanced at Yeosang, who seemed to be going through the same kind of emotions.

They descended the numerous stairs, bumping into Wooyoung on their way down to the castle’s Dungeons. The Gryffindor was coming from the direction the Library was at, his school bag slung over his shoulder.

“I’m so glad Jongho is giving me a reason to procrastinate on this damn _Charms_ essay. It’s been driving me crazy,” he muttered, his voice shaking. It was clear he was trying to distract himself from the wave of emotions running through him.

They all knew this was _it._

What they had been waiting for ever since Seonghwa and Hongjoong had found that student record, ever since San had begun distancing himself… For Wooyoung even before that, since he had a way closer relationship with their ghost friend. They were scared and excited alike. It had been a huge mystery for so long and it was clear that it wasn’t an easy one, which only raised the anticipation to finally discover the truth.

They arrived shortly after and found both of their Slytherin friends waiting outside of their house’s Common Room. San looked nervous while Jongho looked scared, which was unusual for him. Seonghwa had a feeling their youngest had already heard the ghost’s story.

“Let’s go somewhere a bit more private,” San muttered, averting his gaze from their curious eyes. He led them through the Dungeon’s corridors to a relatively quiet area, not many students visited it, and opened one of the rooms. It was close to where the Dead’s Halloween Party had been hosted.

They gathered in the center of the classroom. There weren’t any chairs or seats, so the Hogwarts students ended up sitting on the dusty and dirty ground. San didn’t sit down, he started pacing nervously.

“San,” Jongho whispered, fiddling with his fingers as he stared at the Slytherin ghost. “They’ll understand.”

“I know,” San muttered. He ran a hand through his hair, gripping it tightly as if he needed to ground himself. Seonghwa wondered if he did actually feel the pain or if it was just an action he had carried from his time alive into his life as a ghost.

“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” Jongho suggested.

San rolled his shoulders a couple of times before dropping them. He stared at his friend for a moment. Then he finally sat down between Jongho and Wooyoung.

“As you know, I was murdered during the Second Wizarding War for protecting a secret. To be more specific I was protecting a prophecy. _When a millennium comes to an end, and the tenth moon is the blackest, Your Highness born out of darkness will walk among men_ ,” he recited the words in a whisper, a faraway look on his face. The words sounded familiar.

“Hold on,” Yeosang said, blinking rapidly. “Isn’t this what Wooyoung mumbled during _Divination_ some time ago?”

Seonghwa nodded his head. “Yes. It is.”

San glanced at Wooyoung curiously. “I think with the time nearing, Wooyoung might have been attuned to it.”

“What time is nearing?” Seonghwa asked.

“For me to choose,” Jongho revealed, quietly and frightened, “whether I accept my role as part demon or not.”

Seonghwa and Yeosang stared open-mouthed at their friend. Wooyoung whipped his head in the Slytherin boy’s direction, sputtering out a loud, “ _What_?!”

Seonghwa couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. Jongho, part demon? That seemed impossible. He had met his friend’s parents, they were Muggles, there never had been anything unusual about them. “Could you please explain? This is very confusing.”

“I should start from the beginning,” San said. “While I was a student in Hogwarts, many doubted the Dark Lord’s ability to win against the Chosen One. For years, there was a group of witches and wizards that had taken a different route to their magical abilities, joining forces with Muggles, as strange as it may seem, especially for Purebloods, but they were drawn to the Muggle folklore of demons and wanted to discover the truth behind it,” San explained, his voice was even and his gaze was on something in the far end of the room, unfocused.

“I don’t know that much about the details, only their name. The Order of Lilith. I am trapped within the Hogwarts grounds and its extensions, and there isn’t much information about any of this here. Not even in the Restricted Section at the Library… Anyway, I wasn’t the one to speak the prophecy, but I happened to be around when it was revealed. We took an oath to stay quiet. We were four people in total. Three of us died protecting it, the last one died as well, but not before he completely wiped his own memory. Two of us roam Hogwarts to this day, but only I remember… And it’s been hard, very hard, to deal with this knowledge. Especially, as the time is nearing and I… I won’t be staying here for that much longer, I’m afraid.” San paused, massaging his temples. He glanced at his friends, gauging their reactions. Seonghwa was speechless and confused, Yeosang and Wooyoung weren’t doing much better, the latter looked stuck in between anger and despair. “I wasn’t sure whether it was Jongho or not who the prophecy speaks about. I… didn’t want it to be him, but all signs point towards it.”

Wooyoung cleared his throat, frowning deeply. “I’m still not quite following. What exactly does this prophecy talk about?” he asked, pointedly ignoring the piece about San not staying around for longer. 

“It’s about the next dark wizard. This time with actual _evil_ blood running through his veins. An inescapable destiny,” San clarified, shooting Jongho a sad look. “I think Jongho has been fighting it, but he’s noticed the darkness taking over. All of us have noticed it.”

“Darkness?” Seonghwa echoed, remembering Hongjoong’s words after the _Sectumsempra_ incident.

“Something dark and twisted infiltrating our minds and hearts. It isn’t permanent as it is here for Jongho, but it has been spreading around Hogwarts since the beginning of the school year, trying to find the child of darkness,” San explained, his lips pressed together into a thin line. 

Yeosang swallowed, his lower lips trembling as he let out a shaky breath. “I think I have noticed it. There were moments when I didn’t feel like myself… There was something twisted in my mind or soul… I don’t know.”

“I know what you mean,” Seonghwa said, recalling all those times he felt an unfamiliar violence arise in him. When he felt as though he was not himself, but someone— _something_ —else. “I have felt it too.”

San looked at them both, a little bit relieved. “Then you know what I mean.”

“We do,” Yeosang assured him. “But what does any of this mean for us? For _Jongho_?”

San sighed, looking at the youngest with a troubled expression. “The time will come and then Jongho will have to choose. It won’t be easy. He will have to choose whether to give into the darkness or refuse it, losing a piece of him.”

“I won’t become a demon,” Jongho said decidedly.

“It’s not that easy. You’d refuse power and ancient magic that no one else is able to do—”

“I am not going to give in,” Jongho said again, shooting San a meaningful look. “I will not become what _they_ want me to.”

“Do you have any idea who might have done it?” Seonghwa asked slowly, fearing the answer would be negative.

The Slytherin shrugged. “San suspected my parents, but it can’t be them. They’re Muggles and have barely any idea about the wizarding world. There has to be someone else. I just can’t think of anyone.”

“Have you told Headmistress Min about _any_ of this?” Yeosang asked then.

Jongho shook his head. “Not yet. After the incident with Felix she has been a bit busy. I will probably get some detention and will have to meet Felix’s parents. They like me, but I nearly killed their son…”

Seonghwa pressed his lips together, reaching forward to pat his friend’s knee. “It’ll be fine. This wasn’t your fault.”

Jongho smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t think whether it was my fault or not matters much. I hurt my friend.”

“You’re losing control of your own magic. There wasn’t much you could’ve done,” San told him.

Seonghwa looked at San. “Is there anything else you can tell us?”

The ghost stared at him pensively. “I’m not sure. All of this is fairly uncharted territory for me too,” he admitted.

Jongho coughed, getting their attention on him. “I do have something to tell— _show_ you. I haven’t mentioned this before because it’s very disconcerting and scary and… I don’t know what to do about it.” His hands were shaking as they came up to his face. He looked like he was about to cry. 

Jongho bowed his head low, both hands coming up to his left eye. He took out what appeared to be a contact lense, and when he looked up his eyes were full of tears and his hands were shaking even more. But that wasn’t the most staggering part of it. No. His left eye was _completely_ _black_.

“What the—” Wooyoung said, cutting himself off. He stared with his mouth agape at Jongho.

Seonghwa couldn’t help the shiver that ran through him.

“S-Since when do you have that?” Yeosang asked, his tone forcefully calm.

Jongho sniffled. “It happened over summer. It spread out, starting with the pupil. I got these colored contact lenses because I was so terrified…” He broke off, a sob tearing through the eerily quiet room.

“Jongho, it’s okay,” San said softly. He didn’t seem too shaken by the black eye. Then again he had been alive during the Second Wizarding War. He probably had seen enough horrors to haunt him for eternity, Seonghwa reckoned.

Wooyoung stood up abruptly then, dusting off his pants. “I need—I’m going to go, I need to clear my head. This is really _fucking_ overhwleming,” he mumbled, walking towards the door in long srtides.

The four boys exchanged a worried look. Yeosang sighed, standing up too. “I’ll check up on him.” 

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Seonghwa decided to ask, scooting closer to his Slytherin friends.

“By trying to research what this Dark Magic is that has been cast on Jongho, and who did it. It has to be someone close to him, even before he was born,” San answered thoughtfully. “And keep reminding Jongho who he is, that he is human. Stop him from giving in.”

“I won’t—” Jongho started, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Jongho. This magic is powerful. It’ll try to distance you from your friends. Just let yourself be helped.”

The younger Slytherin let out a long sigh, uncrossing his arms so he could let them fall into his lap, where he played with the sleeves of his sweatshirt. He looked small and ashamed, as if asking for help caused him a great deal of trouble.

“Okay,” Jongho muttered.

“How is Felix doing?” Seonghwa decided to ask, changing the topic of their conversation. All of this was mind boggling and probably incredibly taxing on Jongho, who looked close to crying or yelling, Seonghwa wasn’t sure. He wanted to reach forward and hug their youngest, but he knew Jongho often didn’t like that kind of affection. Only Yeosang was allowed to hug him—and well, no one could refuse Wooyoung’s hugs.

“He is okay,” Jongho answered after taking in a few deep breaths to calm himself. “Madame Eunji fixed him up, but she says she hasn’t seen that spell being used in a very long time. Even Headmistress Min was a bit scared, which you know, doesn’t happen often,” Jongho explained, shivering. “I don’t want to be feared.”

“You aren’t,” Seonghwa reassured him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, when the door reopened and Wooyoung and Yeosang came in, the former had red rimmed eyes and tear stained cheeks. Yeosang looked a bit spooked himself, but there weren’t any tears welled up in his eyes.

“Are you okay?” San asked them.

Wooyoung’s voice trembled, but he nodded his head decidedly. “Yes, we are okay.”

There was more to his words than just his physical and mental status. It was a reaffirmation for San that Wooyoung wasn’t mad at him or thought less of him; that they were still San and Wooyoung, an odd pair, but that was _them._

“Do you guys really not—Aren’t you scared of me?” Jongho asked hesitantly. His black eye was jarring to look at but Seonghwa willed himself to not be faced by it. He didn’t want Jongho to feel unwanted.

“We’re not afraid of you. You’re _Jongho_ , our friend. You’re like a little brother to me. I love you and that won’t ever change,” Seonghwa told him decidedly.

Jongho started crying again. 

Seonghwa got up from his seats to rush over to his Slytherin friend, embracing him tightly in a hug this time. Wooyoung followed suit, muttering reassuring words to Jongho as he passed a hand through the silky black hair.

“You’re _our_ Jongho. Doesn’t matter if you have a black eye or if you grow horns—or whatever,” Yesang promised him.

“I’m so terrified,” Jongho confessed, his voice hoarse and breaking. As an answer they only hugged him tighter.

Their heartwarming moment was cut short when a sudden blood-curdling scream came from San’s direction. The ghost was lying on the dusty floor of the room, twisting on himself, as his hands were balled into fists, tightly gripping the material of his sweatshirt. He seemed to be in great pain. Seonghwa noticed with astonishment that tears were starting to stream down his face and his translucent appearance vanished completely, making him look like a regular human. He couldn’t move, jarred by what he was seeing. 

What did one do when ghosts cried? How was he meant to help their ghost-not-so-ghost friend?

“ _San_?!” Wooyoung called out his name, crouching down next to the convulsing Slytherin. His hand hovered in the air, hesitantly, but he decided to let them come rest on the ghost’s body and, to everyone’s surprise, they didn’t fall right through. He was actually _touching_ San.

Wooyoung didn’t waste much time being surprised or confused, he brushed San’s hair out of his face and checked his body for wounds, but there was nothing there.

The Gryffindor turned around to look at his friends with a helpless look. “Guys, what do I do?”

Yeosang scooted forward, kneeling down next to the ghost, trying to stop San from shaking, but it was a nearly impossible task. He retrieved his wand and muttered a calming spell. It worked and soon San relaxed, his body lying listless on the floor. He was breathing harshly and he still looked human rather than ghostly.

“San,” Wooyoung whispered, holding his face tenderly. Seonghwa couldn’t fathom what his Gryffindor friend must be feeling right now, finally holding the person he loved so dearly. 

“Wooyoung,” San muttered. His eyes were closed and his voice sounded tired. 

“San, what happened?” Seonghwa asked, approaching them with Jongho. He reached out his hand to hold San’s. It was cold, not the expected warmths from a living human. Then again San was _dead_ , even if he resembled a living human in this instant.

The Slytherin opened his eyes, uncertainty was reflected in them, and when he sat up he was visibly shaking.

“I…” he started, averting his friends’s eyes. “I didn’t want to tell you this. I never thought I would have to…”

Despite his previous gentleness, Wooyoung scoffed in anger. “How many more secrets are you hiding, Choi San?” he asked, his tone confronting. “We are supposed to be good friends!”

San looked up at him guilty. “This is the last one, I swear.”

“Then tell us! Just be _fucking_ honest, I’m begging you!” Wooyoung’s voice was so wrecked and full of sadness. He was letting all of his walls come undone, for all of them to see. Only San could have that effect on him.

“I am not completely dead,” San finally confessed, quietly and small.

The silence that followed nearly swallowed them whole. Seonghwa’s ears rang with the truth and he couldn’t do anything, just blink as he tried to make sense of these words.

“What,” Jongho deadpanned.

“I mean, I _did_ die,” San clarified. “But my soul isn’t all that gone. It’s conserved in two—well, now one piece…”

Wooyoung gasped, a frown forming in his face. He stared at San as if he was seeing him for the first time, a little terrified and concerned. “Are you saying you made… Horcruxes before your death?”

Seonghwa’s eyes widened and he looked at San, searching him. There were new tears spilling out of San’s eyes as he shook his head vehemently. “I promise it is not what you think!” he told his friends. He couldn’t bear the frightened looks they cast on him, the disgust crossing through Wooyoung’s gaze, as if he was a monster.

“Then tell us,” Yeosang whispered, his voice was thin.

“Before I died—No, before I was murdered,” he corrected himself, shuddering at the memory. “I was tortured. They wanted the prophecy. I was the last one of the four to be still alive. I was already in so much pain that it wasn’t-wasn’t difficult to tear a piece of my soul out—Well, two pieces.”

“So you did not create Horcruxes?” Wooyoung asked quietly, a tone of relief in his voice.

“No. I would never,” San said, hoping they believed him. “It’s a different spell. I worked on it myself. I knew they would end up discovering that I had destroyed the prophecy… I was prepared. This spell I performed, required me to place a piece of my soul into an object to maintain a sense of immortality, but it is only for a limited amount of time. It is similar to a Horcrux, so I understand the confusion, but I would never kill anyone,” he explained. Seonghwa let out a sigh of relief. He wouldn’t have known what to think of San if he had done what the Dark Lord had. “But as I said it is only for a limited amount of time. This year I will cease to exist. Unless… Unless whoever just destroyed one piece of my soul destroys the second one. Then I will be gone much sooner.”


	21. A Ghost's Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: it is very angsty T_T

The most painful thing in his life hadn’t been dying. No. Death had been quick and quiet, like the first drop of rain that falls somewhere no one notices. Before his brain even fully caught the _Avada Kedavra_ crossing his murderer’s lips, he had already been dead. But tearing out two pieces of his soul to maintain the veil between the living and the dead as thin as possible—so that he wouldn’t completely vanish once he was dead—that had hurt. The process had been excruciatingly painful and slow. San sometimes still wondered how he had managed that without fainting. 

The worst part had been not knowing if it would work or not, the only person who ever had performed that spell had been San himself, right before his death. The uncertainty around the spell’s success, but _still_ subjecting himself to such unbearable pain had almost driven him to give up. Then, he had thought of his companions, all so valiantly defending the prophecy and making sure it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. San couldn’t have abandoned their project, someone needed to be in Hogwarts for when the time would come. 

He had successfully found the son of darkness, he had warned him and told him everything about his fate; the only missing part, of course, being _how_ to stop it. He had tried to identify those that had seeked the prophecy, but they had worn capes that had covered their faces. All he knew was that the man that had taken his life was a notorious werewolf, member of the Order of Lilith.

San never had seen the point in revealing _his_ truth. To reveal that his time in the limbo was limited and that he would never see his friends again—never see _Wooyoung_ again. He didn’t want them to look at him any differently. He didn’t want their last days spent with the fear and knowledge that San was going to leave them. He knew it would be painful at first, but one day they’d forget him, like everyone did once they left Hogwarts.

Why would they be any different?

Even if he did try to convince himself of that, there was a part that wished he could stay, even if he would be just a ghost, like the others at Hogwarts. Doomed to be sixteen forever, doomed to stay at Hogwarts, doomed in a never ending circle. 

“You’re leaving me— _us_?” Wooyoung asked, frowning. He looked hurt and angry. “Why didn’t you say something earlier? What the fuck, San?” He was furious, tears spilling out of his eyes, and he grabbed a fistful of San’s sweatshirt, shaking him. Despite the obvious hurt and anger that Wooyoung was radiating, San relished in the feeling of having the Gryffindor this close. That he could actually feel his warmth on him. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I didn’t think it would matter. I’m _dead_. Even if I didn’t leave, once you graduate from Hogwarts, you’ll forget about me anyway,” he explained in his defense. 

Wooyoung’s hands dropped from his sweatshirt until they were on San’s waist. The Slytherin felt the phantom of a heart beat quickly in his chest. The Gryffindor’s head came to rest in the crook of San’s neck, he was breathing shakily. San tried not to shiver, he hadn’t felt a warm touch in over a decade, it was painful and mind spinning to finally feel something like this again.

“I’ll never forget about you,” Wooyoung whispered only for San to hear.

Their friends were around them, at a short distance, not interrupting their moment. They knew what Wooyoung felt for San—probably all of Hogwarts did—but no one knew what San felt for Wooyoung, and he hoped no one ever would. He couldn’t rob Wooyoung of his first love like this, he deserved someone better. Someone _alive_.

“You will, and it’s fine. I’ll be gone and—”

“San, shut up, will you?” Yeosang hissed, uncharacteristically harsh for him. “Don’t try to-to tell us how we will feel about you in the future. You’re our friend and we won’t forget you, whether you like that or not,” he continued, coming up behind Wooyoung to soothingly caress the Gryffindor’s back. “I know you think you did this for us, but you’re doing it so you won’t feel as guilty.”

San swallowed, feeling as though Yeosang had just slapped him across his face. He gazed down at the top of Wooyoung’s black hair, wanting to run his hand through it—now while he could—but restrained himself from doing so. It would only give the Gryffindor false hope.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, ashamed.

“Is there…” Seonghwa started, hesitantly. He had a thoughtful look on his face. “Is there any way for us to um, return you to life? You know, like the Dark Lord did? Without the human sacrifice, of course.”

San swallowed. Staying quiet for a moment too long. When he shook his head and said, “No,” decidedly, it was already too late. His friends had caught on to the lie.

“San,” Yeosang said, insistently. “Tell us.”

“No. Absolutely not. I have died, my time on Earth ended long ago—”

“But that’s the thing, isn’t it?” interjected Jongho. “You were robbed of your life. You were only sixteen.”

“So, what?” San shot him a look. “Even if you were to bring me back, then what? I am registered as dead. I can’t finalize my studies at Hogwarts. There isn’t much I could do.”

“You could live as a Muggle,” Seonghwa suggested quietly.

San shook his head again, more vehemently this time. “No. I couldn’t ask such a thing of you.”

Wooyoung drew back and San already missed his warmth. The Gryffindor sat down next to Yeosang. “Is there something that we _can_ do for you?” he asked, his tone tired and blank.

“I wasn’t going to ask, but…” he trailed off uncomfortably. He never had wanted them to know about this, but they were stubborn and San knew there was no point in arguing with them. “Maybe you could retrieve the other object in which I have placed my soul so that whoever destroyed the first one doesn’t get it. That would grant me some more time, even if it is briefly only.”

“Where did you put it?” Seonghwa asked.

“I’m not sure which one was destroyed. I would have to figure that out first. But one is hidden in the Ministry of Magic while the other is with a distant cousin of mine, who promised to keep it safe,” San explained.

“Okay.” Seonghwa nodded his head, glancing at his friends. They stayed quiet, either because they were angry at San or because they allowed Seonghwa to speak for all of them. “Just tell us when you know.”

“I will,” San promised.

Wooyoung stood up then, dusting off his pants. He decidedly avoided San’s gaze. He reached out his hand for Yeosang to take and pulled him up.

“I’m going to bed,” he said, stepping towards the exit of the room.

“But it’s dinner hour,” Jongho said.

“Well, I’m not hungry anymore,” the Gryffindor left, slamming the door shut behind himself. Yeosang pressed his lips together tightly, shooting them a troubled look.

“I’ll speak with him. He’s just… hurt.”

“I know,” San said. “I can’t blame him for hating me now.”

“He doesn’t hate you, San,” Yeosang assured him. He left the room as well, closing the door much softer than his best friend.

San could feel his own self slip back into his ghostly state. He knew the human-like state wouldn’t have lasted long, after all he was still very much dead, this was just an echo of the boy he once had been over a decade ago, possible through the link he possessed to the living world still. The sensation of a piece of his soul burning until it was destroyed had been agonizing, but having Wooyoung hold him gently—and thanks to Yeosang’s calming spell—it had been bearable for the time it had lasted.

“San,” Seonghwa spoke softly. There was a reason that he was their unofficial leader, he had a rather mature aura and whereas Wooyoung could be impulsive and Yeosang impartial or ruled by his emotions, Seonghwa maintained a calm outlook—unless Hongjoong was involved, the Hufflepuff Prefect always managed to break Seonghwa’s collected demeanor. “I won’t demand the whole truth, but if there is a slight chance of bringing you back… Don’t you think it is worth a try?”

San sighed, glancing at the Ravenclaw. “It is an incredibly difficult spell and delves into ancient and dark magic. I couldn’t possibly ask any of you to perform it. I doubt you even could.”

Jongho didn’t say anything, just smiled sadly. He wasn’t like any of his friends just as much as he was like all of them, tuning himself into their moods. 

“But there is a way?” Seonghwa pushed, one last time, for the truth.

“There is. Yes.” And San gave it to him.

“Okay.”

“Seonghwa you have to promise me that you won’t try to—That you will stop Wooyoung from trying to find a solution,” San asked of him.

“You know that I can’t promise that.”

**~*~**

San sat on the bathroom floor, staring blankly at the closed stalls. After the recent events, it was hard not to let his mind wander back to the Second Wizarding War. He remembered how heartbroken he had felt seeing his beloved Hogwarts destroyed, the ground lining with dead students—some even much younger than him. He wondered if he would ever recover from it. He was glad that he didn’t sleep because he knew his dreams would be plagued by those images. At least, while he was awake he could distract himself, in his sleep he was delivered to his memories with no protection.

He had asked an entrusted ghost-friend to speak to his cousin for him, and ask her if she still possessed the object San had given her, which held a piece of his soul. He really hoped she hadn’t been attacked by whoever had destroyed it. He needed to retrieve it and put it somewhere in Hogwarts, it’d be the safest there. 

Over the past decade, San had regularly kept an eye over those that had murdered him for the prophecy. A lot of the Order of Lilith were dead—many had died during the war—others were rotting away in Azkaban as they bore the mark of the Dark Lord on their arms. There were a few, a very small number, that walked freely, but as far as San could tell none of them had behaved suspiciously, so he wasn’t sure who exactly could’ve destroyed one of his soul pieces.

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the bathroom’s door. The Slytherin looked up. “Come in,” he said, standing up. He was surprised to find Wooyoung entering the bathroom. He looked hesitant and didn’t quite meet San’s eyes. “What brings you here?” the ghost asked.

“I am here to apologize,” Wooyoung said slowly. “I just needed some time to process what you told us yesterday and get over my anger that you hadn’t told us sooner—told _me_ sooner.”

“It’s fine,” San assured him.

“No. I was out of line. We all have secrets and we have a right to keep them if we choose so. We don’t owe anyone—”

“Woo, it’s fine. You don’t need to justify your actions. I get it.” San didn’t move, waiting for the Gryffindor to take the first step.

Over the past months, their relationship had grown tense due to the obvious lack of communication and San regretted it, but he had been so terrified to open up about all of this. Now that it was out in the open, he felt so much lighter and relieved. Of course, there was the nagging sadness lingering in the back of his mind, that he would have to leave soon, but thanks to Wooyoung and his friends he got to experience so many things that he hadn’t had the privilege before—not even while he had been alive.

Wooyoung walked forward, standing right in front of him, and reached out his hand hesitantly. He let it linger millimeters from San’s face.

San could imagine what that warmth would feel like, could imagine the tingling sensations running over his skin at feeling the touch of his love, but it wouldn’t be possible anymore. The only moment that had been possible was in that small window the day before, when a piece of his soul had been destroyed, but at least he had gotten to experience even that. Wooyoung’s delicate hands on him; what more could he ask for?

Wooyoung’s hand fell right through the ghost when he finally decided to move it in an attempt to caress San’s cheeks. The Slytherin smiled, sadly, and Wooyoung removed his hand quickly, hiding his face and with it, his emotions.

“I still don’t understand all of what you’ve told us. It was a lot, but I am here to support you and help you… However I can,” the Gryffindor began saying. “I want you to know that I stand behind you, no matter what. I’m sorry for doubting you multiple times this year.”

San laughed emptily. “It’s understandable. I didn’t exactly behave in a way that could have given you much reason to trust me.”

“I’m glad you told us the truth though,” Wooyoung told him. “It was awful doubting you, feeling as if I didn’t know you at all…” He hesitated, glancing up to look directly into San’s eyes. It was always overwhelming to have Wooyoung’s intense gaze set on him, especially as it was just the two of them. Now that San had gotten a feel of what Wooyoung’s love for him could feel like on his skin, he was growing greedy—uselessly so. “I really—You really mean a lot to me, San.”

“I know. You mean a lot to me too,” he confessed. The need to give Wooyoung the world and more was incredibly strong, but he couldn’t let himself get carried away. He couldn’t promise Wooyoung things he wouldn’t be able to keep.

“I know you don’t want me to ask about this, but you have to understand why I—You know why I can’t let this go,” Wooyoung rambled and if San had a beating heart he knew it would sink right about now. “How can we make you human again?”

San shook his head decidedly. “I can’t ask that of you. I’m not even sure if it would work. Only I tried this out and when I tore two pieces out of my soul, I wasn’t sure it would work. I can’t say with reassurance that the spell to bring me back would be successful… The damage it could leave behind, I couldn’t make any of you go through it.”

Wooyoung pouted, sadly and dejected. “But, San—”

“Wooyoung. No.” San shook his head again. “Please, don’t—Don’t make this difficult.”

The Gryffindor scowled, his growing anger visible in his shoulders, but he didn’t further insist. He simply turned around swiftly and left the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. San passed a hand through his hair, exhaling a sigh he knew he shouldn’t be able to exhale. Just like the tears that started spilling out of his eyes. It was part of being in this limbo. As dead as the other ghosts in the physical sense, but not quite detached from the living either as his soul was still alive.

His crying session was interrupted when a ghost came through the door, he looked hesitant, his head tilted as he found San wiping away his tears.

“It always catches me off guard to see you cry,” Jungkook said, a frown between his brows. “Are you okay?”

“I will be,” San told him. “What brings you here?”

“What you asked me to discover… I got an answer,” the Ravenclaw ghost revealed. He seemed tense and San expected the worst. “Your cousin says that although they weren’t attacked, she doesn’t have the object you gave her anymore… She was very distraught and apologizes for not having been more careful.”

San shook his head. “No, tell her it isn’t her fault. And give her my gratefulness for having kept it all these years.”

Jungkook nodded his head, hesitating before leaving. “Are you not going to tell me what it was about? We’ve known each other for a long time, San.”

The Slytherin regarded the Ravenclaw, wondering if it was fair to keep Jungkook’s past hidden. What would the boy say if San told him he once had been part of a bigger mission? How would Jungkook react to the news that he had erased his own memories to protect himself?

“Sorry, I can’t,” San said. He had carried this burden alone for all these years, he could carry it for a little while longer. It would only cause unnecessary pain and confusion if he were to reveal the truth to Jungkook.

The other ghost looked a bit bothered, but shook his head, smiling sadly. “It’s alright. I’ll be on my way then.”

San waved his hand in goodbye. He let out a distressed sigh; how was he going to retrieve his family heirloom from the Ministry of Magic? He knew he would have to ask his living friends, but it was so incredibly risky and would put them in so much danger—and trouble, if they were to be discovered.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he muttered, pulling at his hair.

**~*~**

It was three days after San had revealed the truth to them, that he called for them again. This time around they were meeting San in the bathroom up by the third floor.

Seonghwa had talked about it a lot since then, in between classes and during their free time, with his friends, keeping an eye out for Jongho. It had flipped their world upside down and given them a new perspective towards magic and its boundaries, which seemed so much more limitless now than before.

The night after San had revealed his story, Seonghwa had spent an hour crying in his bed, his heart hurting for his friends, feeling scared for both of his Slytherin friends’s fates, and how he was supposed to help them. He felt his young age then, only fifteen and there was so much knowledge he didn’t have that could surely lead to doom. He was terrified of losing his friends—he was already going to lose San, he couldn’t lose Jongho too.

He barely had time to pay attention to his growing friendship with Hongjoong or his classes. His mind kept replaying the conversation with San, thinking about what it must have been like. How scary it had been like existing in Hogwarts during such dangerous and dreadful times… 

Hongjoong had asked him multiple times if he was all right, but Seonghwa had dismissed him each time, saying that there was something going on that he couldn’t speak of. The Hufflepuff had been visibly hurt and disappointed, but Seonghwa wasn’t going to betray San’s trust—a friend whom he had known for nearly five years—just so that Hongjoong wouldn’t pout at him, as much as he was crushing on the Hufflepuff, his friends came first.

Wooyoung seemed a bit off, which wasn’t that unusual of a sight. Throughout the past few days, he had gone on and off about his feelings regarding San, one day hating him and being absolutely furious, and then the next day he was supportive and understanding. 

Seonghwa admired that he was navigating his emotions so freely, they all knew that deep down Wooyoung would side with San, no matter what. It was just a lot to process for him. Especially the fact that San was going to leave soon and he didn’t want them to help him stay. Wooyoung was going through an early stage of grief already, which was confusing and hurtful. 

Seonghwa wished he could ease his Gryffindor friend’s pain, but there was little he could do aside from holding him when he cried, and tell him that he loved him. It was what they all could do.

San regarded them with a tired and guilty look when they entered the bathroom. 

Seonghwa had never noticed it before—perhaps it hadn’t been as bad—but there were huge bags beneath San’s eyes and his eyes shimmered in the way they would after crying. It was strange to know that he cried.

“I have good news and bad news,” San started. “Good news is that my cousin and her family are still alive. Bad news is that the object I left with her, containing a piece of my soul, was destroyed. The other one is in the Ministry of Magic,” he explained, pressing his lips together tightly. “It’s a family heirloom. A ring, to be precise. It is on Level Nine, by the Department of Mysteries. There is a chamber there, for relics, heirlooms, and other objects that no longer hold any affiliation with a living person. They were part of the Second Wizarding War. It’s sort of,” San paused, tapping his chin with his index finger, “like an archive—or museum, if you will—to remember the war.”

“You’re telling me, the last piece of your soul is in the Ministry of Magic?” Wooyoung inquired, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. “Near the hardest department to reach?”

San nodded, biting his lip nervously. “I’d understand if you refuse to do this—”

“San,” Seonghwa interrupted him, “we already agreed that we would help you.”

Yeosang nodded his head, agreeing silently.

“Department of Mysteries?” Jongho repeated, confused. “What does that mean?”

“It’s a department regarding confidential research and projects about different topics,” Wooyoung explained. “Eunmi told me some about it. She said that not even the Minister of Magic has much knowledge about what goes on there. It’s a level above the Courtroom Ten. I had to walk past it when I…” he trailed off, choking on his words. “When I went to see my dad’s trial,” he finished. “It won’t be easy getting there. I mean, how are we supposed to even exit Hogwarts?” he asked, glancing at San with big, inquisitive eyes.

“Yeah,” Seonghwa agreed. “We haven’t learned _Apparition_ yet. And even if we did, we wouldn’t be able to do it without getting caught…”

San held his hands up, calming them down. “I am aware. There is a passage in Headmistress Min’s office to the Ministry, it would lead you directly to the Ministry Atrium.”

“So we only have to sneak into the headmistress’s personal office?” Wooyoung repeated, scoffing. “ _Great_!” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, glaring at San. “You want us to get expelled, is that it?”

“Wooyoung,” Yeosang muttered sternly.

Jongho had moved forward, placing his hand on Wooyoung’s shoulder to calm him down.

“He never asked us to do anything, we offered our help, remember?” Jongho quietly whispered, looking at Wooyoung meaningfully.

The Gryffindor let out a long sigh. “Sorry,” he apologized in a mumble. “I’m just…” he trailed off, gesturing vaguely with his hand.

“We know,” Seonghwa said.

“I am sorry too,” San said, addressing the Gryffindor, his eyes on him without wavering, hurt and simmering anger hiding beneath the tiredness. “I am sorry that I befriended you all those years ago, that I kept up this friendship, and that I befriended your friends! I shouldn’t have because I am _dead_. We all knew that, you can’t keep _fucking_ blaming me for the feelings you’ve developped. Do you think it is easy for me to see you so hurt? Do you think it is easy for me to ignore my own growing feelings towards you?” San staggered backwards after those last words, recoiling at the silence that followed.

He avoided the surprised stares the students threw at him; he didn’t dare to look up at Wooyoung.

Seonghwa had always known that San returned Wooyoung’s feelings, it was easy to see, even if the Slytherin had tried to hide it, pretending Wooyoung was just a friend, like the rest of them were. He had kept quiet about it as it hadn’t been his place to reveal—and as San had put it, he was dead, it wasn’t a love meant to work out. Hearing the confession fall from San’s lips was surprising though.

Wooyoung stared at San, his lips parted, but no sound came out.

“Sorry,” San apologized. “That was harsh… I shouldn’t have—”

“You return my feelings?” Wooyoung asked, his voice hollow. 

The look on his face was frightening. There was so much pain and longing there, it was haunting. Usually, Wooyoung was good at putting on a mask, to be cheerful and confident and cocky, but this side of him… This utter brokenness, Seonghwa hadn’t witnessed it much. Usually it only appeared when Wooyoung’s parents were involved.

“Wooyoung,” San started, shaking his head. “This isn’t… You know I can’t— _We can’t be_.”

The ghost’s words left a tense filled silence behind. Seonghwa wasn’t sure what to do, he wanted to reach forward and hug Wooyoung, shelter him from this heartbreak, but he knew he couldn’t protect him, and a hurt Wooyoung was a difficult thing to deal with. He often brushed everyone aside to be alone in his anger and pain.

Yeosang stepped forward, securely placing a hand on Wooyoung’s forearm, tugging at him to lead him out of the bathroom.

“We’ll be right back,” he muttered into the deafening quietness.

Jongho hummed, eyeing the Gryffindor worriedly. Once the two boys were out of the bathroom, he looked at San with a scolding expression. “Did you have to be so harsh?”

San crumbled at his words, falling onto the ground. He was crying silently. “H-How else was I supposed to…? He knows this isn’t possible. I can’t waver and give in. It’ll be much more painful for him if I do.”

Seonghwa let out a long sigh, rolling his shoulders. He crouched down to kneel beside the ghost. Even if it wouldn’t do much he let his hand rest just millimeters from San’s head.

“It’ll be fine. He understands. He is just processing a lot of information right now,” he whispered, glancing at Jongho and pulling a face to get the Slytherin to say something encouraging as well.

“You’re dropping bomb after bomb on him— _us._ Just give him some time,” Jongho said, his voice thin.

“That’s the thing,” San mumbled, a sob tearing through him. “We _don’t have_ much time!”

“Let’s meet on Saturday again to discuss how to infiltrate the Ministry, we will do it on Sunday, yes?” Seonghwa offered. “In the meantime, we will try to figure out ways to enter Headmistress Min’s office. We’re going to work out something…”

“ _Fuck_!” San cursed, running his hands through his hair, tugging at it. “I shouldn’t have asked you to do this… I shouldn’t have—”

“It’s fine.” Seonghwa sat down onto the floor, removing his hand from San’s head, it was getting cold and numb. “We offered our help. Plus, we wouldn’t have stopped insisting you tell us what is up. You didn’t have much of a choice. Just allow us to help.”

San stayed quiet for a few seconds. “Fine,” he finally agreed. “Sunday it is. Don’t do anything stupid or reckless before then.”

Seonghwa cracked a smile. “We won’t.” A thought came to him then and he tilted his head, searching for San’s eyes. “Would it be alright if we let Hongjoong, Mingi, and Yunho in on this? They could be of help.”

San returned his gaze, something peculiar crossing his eyes. He stopped crying abruptly. “You trust him?”

“Yes,” Seonghwa answered without hesitance. “I do.”

“Then, yes. I guess we will need as many people as possible for this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> san's pov,,, finally..... his secrets unveiled and the truth is out.. thoughts???


	22. New Bond

Going to class that Wednesday morning was strange. Seonghwa had been in the _History of Magic_ classroom countless times, but it looked different somehow. The light filtering through the big windows and the stuffy air in it was different. Seonghwa knew it probably was just his view of the world that had changed, with all the new information that he had received from San, the way it had altered his life and that from his friends forever.

Nothing would ever look or feel the same.

Wooyoung looked rough as he took the seat in front of Yeosang and Seonghwa, huge bags beneath his eyes, his skin pale, and his fingernails all bitten, in some places there was dried blood. It was a surprise that he had come to class at all.

After the Gryffindor had left the bathroom with Yeosang the day before, they hadn’t come back in like Seonghwa had believed, and for the first time it occurred to him that maybe Wooyoung wouldn’t be on the same page as San. He didn’t dare to ask, now afraid of the answer.

“Good morning,” he greeted Wooyoung, and all he got back was a tired look and a weak attempt of a smile. Wooyoung let himself fall into his seat, lowering his head onto his arms. Professor Yoo was already inside the classroom, but she hadn’t started the class, yet, giving the boys a few minutes.

Seonghwa glanced at Yeosang helplessly.

“It’s not good,” Yeosang whispered.

They were interrupted when Yunho took the seat next to Wooyoung. Yeonjun, who was about to sit down, let out a long and exasperated sigh, moving to the front to sit with Hwanwoong.

“You owe me a butterbeer,” he muttered, addressing Yunho.

“Yes, yes,” Yunho said, swatting his hand at him. Yeonjun rolled his eyes. “Alright, I’ll ask this delicately now before you get stormed by Hongjoong and Mingi during _Defence Against the Dark Arts_ ,” he started to say, his eyebrows pulled together in a concerned manner. “Whatis up with you guys? It’s as if a switch was turned and you all got like—what’s the Muggle expression— _emo_?”

Seonghwa laughed awkwardly, jiggling his leg nervously as he glanced at Wooyoung, who had lifted his head off the table to glare at Yunho. “This might not be the best time to joke around.”

Yunho faltered, realizing that something _really bad_ was going on. “What happened?”

“We were going to tell you guys tonight,” Seonghwa assured him.

“We were?” Wooyoung asked surprised, all tiredness and sadness lifting from his face for a second. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” Seonghwa said, his tone slightly clipped. He shot Wooyoung a meaningful look. “We trust you guys,” he addressed Yunho, but didn’t look away from Wooyoung. “And there is something we need help with.”

“Oh, shit,” Yunho cursed quietly, glancing at Professor Yoo. “Of course. You helped us so we kind of owe you one, but regardless,” he added quickly, “we would help you out! That’s what friends do.”

“I hope Hongjoong and Mingi will think the same,” Seonghwa said.

“They will,” Yunho guaranteed him.

“Students,” Professor Yoo began, all attention settling on her. “Please open your textbooks and turn to page 299.”

 _History of Magic_ passed by painstakingly slowly, whenever Seonghwa glanced at the clock hanging by the end of the classroom, only five minutes had passed; it was driving him insane. He dreaded his class with Hongjoong as much as he looked forward to it. After the Hufflepuff had pushed him away nights ago, Seonghwa wasn’t sure what page they were on, if they even were on the same one. They couldn’t deny the kisses that had occurred between them or pretend that intense connection didn’t grow whenever they were together.

Seonghwa was on edge when they finally were released from Professor Yoo’s clutches, and it only worsened with each step they took towards the _Defence Against the Dark Arts_ class. Hongjoong and Mingi were standing outside the classroom with the rest of the students. Yeosang stiffened like he often did these days when Mingi was around—Seonghwa wondered what _that_ was about, but he hadn’t gotten around to asking Yeosang yet. 

The Hufflepuff Prefect looked dashing as he always did. His intense brown eyes fell on Seonghwa and the Ravenclaw felt his skin burn. Hongjoong could have that effect on Seonghwa.

Seonghwa cleared his throat, leaning towards Hongjoong. “We need to talk—after class. Meet us in the room where we played _Dungeons & Dragons_. It’s very important.” He glanced at Mingi so the tall Hufflepuff knew he was invited as well.

“Okay.” Hongjoong looked at him curiously. “Did something happen?”

“We will tell you later, but yes, something _did_ happen. It’s about San. He needs our help, and we need yours.” Hongjoong nodded his head, his eyes wide.

Mingi looked at Yeosang, a hurt look in his eyes when the Ravenclaw didn’t look back, decidedly staring at the stone floor.

“Yeosang,” Mingi started, his voice faint. Seonghwa looked away, feeling as if it was too private. “Can we please talk?”

Yeosang let out a long sigh, but he did return the Hufflepuff’s gaze. “Fine.”

Hongjoong had his eyes squinted, moving a protective and supportive hand between Mingi’s shoulder blades. Mingi moved to the side of the corridor, giving the Ravenclaw an expectative look. 

“Now? Class is about to start and—” Yeosang sighed again and followed Mingi down the corridor.

When class started and they weren’t back, Seonghwa wondered what might have happened for them to hold such a lengthy conversation. Professor Lee clearly didn’t buy the lie Hongjoong tried to come up with, but she didn’t further inquire, choosing to start class.

**~*~**

Yeosang tipped his chin up, looking at Mingi expectantly. The Hufflepuff was sweating an entire ocean, he hoped the Ravenclaw could not see it.

“What did you want to talk about?” Yeosang asked, but they both knew what it was about. Mingi still could feel the lingering ghost of Yeosang’s lips on his, the crack in his heart that had followed.

“I want to know what—When you kissed me, why did you do that?” Mingi demanded. He had thought long and hard about it, whether to confront Yeosang or leave it be. The Ravenclaw had been in a place of hurt, but that didn’t excuse it.

Yeosang stayed quiet, staring up at him, his expression darkening. “I don’t know. I just—I wanted to forget Seonghwa.”

Mingi’s heart hurt, both for himself and Yeosang. He let out a bitter chuckle. “Did it at least work?”

“Yes,” replied Yeosang, surprising the Hufflepuff. “I did forget him, and that scared me.” Mingi took in a deep breath, his lungs constricting, his chest felt as though someone was crushing it. His heart was going fast and slow at the same time, and there was so much unbearable pain. “I’m sorry,” Yeosang whispered. “I shouldn’t have.”

“Just—don’t do it again,” Mingi asked of him. “You know now that I do care about you, that you hold my heart in your hands, please don’t break it.” He was shaking with the wave of emotions that hit him, throwing him into a spiral. He was floating, upside down, and his mind felt miles away from the room they found themselves in.

“I won’t,” Yeosang promised him.

Mingi took a deep breath, his voice sounded so far away when he asked, “Do you think you’ll ever stop being in love with him?”

The Ravenclaw was quiet for a long time, just staring at Mingi, but the Hufflepuff couldn’t really register it. He could see Yeosang, but he couldn’t interpret the look in his eyes, it was almost as if a veil was in between them.

“I don’t know,” Yeosang finally answered, his voice small. “I do wish to, though. I think I—” he hesitated, tears forming in his eyes, “I know that I have come to care for you, Mingi, and I don’t want to stop this.” He leaned forward, one of his hands softly taking Mingi’s hand, but Mingi drew back. He couldn’t—He wasn’t ready to be hurt again.

“Yeosang,” he said urgently, his voice so, so wrecked. He wanted this so badly but his heart was already so hurt and scarred. 

Yeosang pressed his lips together into a tight line.

“I do mean it when, I say that I care for you.” He tried to grab Mingi’s hand again and this time the Hufflepuff couldn’t fight it off. With a beating and bleeding heart he allowed the warmth of Yeosang’s hands to send waves of sparks up his skin. These words were starting a fire somewhere in Mingi’s mind. “I really do,” Yeosang repeated, softer; with more meaning. He ran his thumb over the back of Mingi’s hand. “You’ve set off something in me and I don’t want it to stop.” And Mingi knew exactly what he meant with that. He took in a deep breath and turned his hand around so that his fingertips were touching Yeosang’s. It was something so gentle and just like a faint whisper in the darkness, but in Mingi’s mind it was loud and present. “You’ve called me the Ice King for so long, Mingi, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.”

**~*~**

The eight of them were gathered in the classroom on the 4th floor. The table on which they usually played _Dungeons & Dragons_ served now as a tea table. Yunho had provided the tea, sensing the turbulence in the others’s minds and so he brewed them some calming herbs.

San was in the middle of explaining how he had died, had preserved his soul, and had worked on finding the child of darkness the prophecy talked about, when Hongjoong once again interrupted him, his eyes as wide as saucers.

“Wait, so Jongho is part demon, is that what you’re saying?” San nodded his head. “But how can that—I mean, _demons_?!” He looked at Yunho and Mingi helplessly.

“It does sound very… fairytale like,” said Mingi.

Yunho had a thoughtful look on his face. “Some Muggles genuinely believe in the existence of demons,” he said, glancing at Seonghwa, Yeosang, and Jongho. “Like demon summonings and whatnot. Is this the case?”

“Kind of,” Jongho said. “We know that I am part demon—we don’t know yet how that is possible—and that this secretive group of people, the Order of Lilith, was heavily involved in this.”

“What exactly is this Order of Lilith?” Hongjoong asked, frowning.

“They are a group of people that mingle with the Dark Arts,” San began explaining. “They didn’t have faith in the Dark Lord and were seeking a different leader. Someone else to change the world. They did research Muggle demonology, I remember—Before I was killed, they discussed the prophecy, asked me questions… The prophecy speaks about the son of darkness. Which happens to be Jongho.”

“How can you be sure?” Yunho inquired, his eyes flitting from Jongho to San.

The Slytherin boy took in a deep breath. “I have bled black blood, I have been having nightmares since summer about a demon that speaks to me. She says to come with her.” He hesitated, scratching his neck. “And, well, there is my eye.”

“What about it?” Hongjoong inquired, looking at Jongho. The younger pulled out his wand and performed a spell to clean his hands before he removed his contact lens, showing his demonic eyes. Hongjoong’s mouth fell agape, much like his two friends he had an expression of utter shock on his face. “What—How is that possible?”

“We believe Jongho might be some kind of creation, when one binds Muggle magic—demonology—and our magic,” Wooyoung said.

“We aren’t too sure on the details yet,” Seonghwa said. “We have very little information about this, and losing the one connection piece to this all, certainly won’t help. That’s the reason we called you here, to prevent San from completely disappearing”

“And because he’s our friend,” Yeosang added. San smiled distractedly.

“That too.” Seonghwa nodded his head, glancing at San. He hoped he hadn’t offended him. “We are still trying to find information about the Order of Lilith, but it’s been a slow process.”

“I wrote to my mom, since she knows some about occultism,” Jongho spoke up then. “She has heard of the order, but it’s been years since then, she doesn’t remember much. So it was a bit of a dead end.” He shrugged. “At least we know it’s real.”

“Did you doubt me?” San inquired, a flash of hurt crossing his face.

“It’s not that,” Jongho said, pressing his lips together. “It’s just—No matter how secretive they are, there must have been records, witnesses… And if it really is tied to occultism, there has to be information about them, at least in Muggle books or forums.”

“We trust you,” Wooyoung reassured the ghost.

“If demons are real, how have we never heard of them?” Yunho wondered, still staring at Jongho.

“San thinks that since it is very ancient and dark it was forgotten over time. It seems that the Order of Lilith tried to maintain it alive, studying it over the past centuries,” Jongho explained, pulling at his sleeve uncomfortably as he had his head lowered, not wanting anyone to look at his black eye. 

“I could imagine that in the Department of Mysteries there is information about it, but there is no way we could enter it,” Wooyoung said. “It’s already a task to retrieve that heirloom from the Ministry.”

“And I wouldn’t want you to risk your lives for my sake,” Jongho added. “This is my burden. I will fight the darkness as much as I can.”

“Jongho,” started Yeosang, softly, but the Slytherin shook his head.

“We need to focus on San right now. It’s important he stays with us for as long as possible. He knows the most about the Order of Lilith. We can’t lose him.” His last words made Wooyoung heave out a sigh, his hands balled into fists. He took the tea cup, finishing it quickly, but despite the calming herbs Yunho had brewed, it didn’t really calm him down.

“So now that you’ve heard our story, will you help us?” Seonghwa asked the two Hufflepuffs and the tall Gryffindor, anxiously grabbing the edge of the table as he waited for their answer. He wouldn’t blame them if they refused.

Hongjoong glanced at his two best friends, a silent conversation occurring between them. When he looked back at Seonghwa there was a glint in his eyes. “Yes, we will,” he said decidedly.

Seonghwa let out a shaky breath, some of his nerves dissipating. “Thank you.”

“We’re—” Hongjoong started but hesitated. “We’re friends now. Friends help each other.” 

“Yeah.” Seonghwa wanted to reach out and…

He wasn’t entirely sure what his heart yearned for, but these past days had been terrible and the strange chasm in between him and Hongjoong was anything but comforting. It added onto his already stressful mind; he _missed_ him. He had thought they were finally making progress—and they were, they really were—but he wanted so much _more_. He wanted that fire that consumed him when Hongjoong had pressed his lips against his, he needed the burning trails on his skin where Hongjoong had touched him… 

That desire exploding between them that had given him the reassurance that his love wasn’t unrequited or unwelcomed, he wondered if he would ever get that back. He hoped he would, he really did. 

Hongjoong was staring at him, something snapping in his eyes and an incredibly softness and sadness was suddenly radiating from them; _recognition_. Seonghwa wished he could drag him elsewhere so they could talk, but they had _Astronomy_ in about half an hour. It was as though there was constantly something in between them, separating them and tearing their hearts apart. Seonghwa hated it.

Hongjoong offered him a smile. It looked a bit like a promise, and Seonghwa desperately hoped he would hold it.

“We should probably head to the Astronomy Tower,” he muttered then, looking away from Hongjoong. He could only hope that soon they would have the chance to talk, it was driving him mad.

**~*~**

It was Friday night and Seonghwa was patrolling a corridor in Hogwarts, actually doing his Prefect duties, where he had bumped into Hongjoong, who was on patrol as well. They had decided to walk together for a while, silently. You could only talk about the weather and classes for so long until it became a never ending and awkward circle.

“I’m sorry for pushing you away,” Hongjoong suddenly muttered, stopping.

“Huh?” Seonghwa turned his face to look at the shorter boy. “What?”

“Some weeks ago, you-you tried to kiss me and I… I ran. I’m sorry.”

Seonghwa blushed. It was the first time they were actually speaking about it—the kissing. He stilled in his steps, completely turning his body so he could face the Hufflepuff. 

He grew courageous, crossing his arms in front of his chest, raising his chin as he regarded Hongjoong curiously. “Why did you run then, if you regret it?”

Hongjoong faltered. His cheeks were dusted in pink, even in the dim lightning Seonghwa could see it. It made him feel giddy inside to know he had a certain effect on Hongjoong, in the same way the Hufflepuff had on him.

“I was trying to understand what we’re doing, still am,” he admitted quietly.

The words rang in the otherwise empty corridor, making Seonghwa’s fingertips numb and his heart race. Was this it? Was this the moment they were going to talk about it?

“Oh,” he breathed out. “Is it important to understand it?”

“To me it is,” Hongjoong told him, staring up at him with an intense gaze. “I… I don’t think I’ve ever felt something quite like this. I want to know if I’m the only one or…” he trailed off awkwardly. He didn’t look away from Seonghwa, though, maintaining that intense eye contact.

It sent shivers down Seonghwa’s spine and he thought, why bother talking if there were better ways of showing what exactly it was he felt? It probably wasn’t the best way to deal with it—definitely wasn’t—but god, he was young and discovering his feelings. There was time for them to talk, he believed.

Seonghwa surged forward, much more natural than the times before, in which there had been hesitance and nerves had clouded his mind about whether Hongjoong was on board or not, now he knew that he was. He gently cupped Hongjoong’s face with both of his hands, holding him still, then he leaned down so their lips could meet. Without his command, his eyelids fluttered close and he allowed himself to get lost in the kiss.

He didn’t think it was possible, but the kiss felt so much better than the others had. It was so much more passionate and reassuring, which was something he needed. Seonghwa might pretend most of the time that he was mature and level headed, but he was just a teenager like the rest of them—with doubts and fears, with growing feelings for a boy he never thought he’d fall in love with.

The knowledge that this boy might return those messy and awkward feelings, made his heart soar and burn in the best way imaginable.

In a way he felt so much more present during this kiss, the brush of Hongjoong’s lips against his so much stronger and simultaneously tender, a tingling sensation that spread through his entire body, consuming him. He wasn’t an expert when it came to kissing, but he had read books and had seen movies, so when Hongjoong seemed to be enjoying the kiss just as much, Seonghwa decided to part his lip, moving one of his hands from the Hufflepuff’s face to the nape of his neck, where he let it slowly move towards the strands of dyed gray hair. His other hand sneaked down to the waist of the other boy, where he grabbed a fistful of Hongjoong’s robes.

Seonghwa needed something to hold onto so he wouldn’t fall—at least not completely.

When Hongjoong was on board with the open mouthed kissing, tentatively running his tongue over Seonghwa’s lower lip, eliciting a sort of knee jerk reaction from the Ravenclaw. Seonghwa almost broke the kiss then, his fingers twitching, and his mind reeling.

The way his lips numbed and went overly sensitive reminded him of those times, when we went running and his body hurt from the exertion, but he still pushed himself forward, reaching a point in which every limb in his body shook and tingled, and all he wanted to do was to collapse. Right now, all he wanted to do was to kiss Hongjoong even harder. But he was shaking, not just his hands or the breath that came out of his mouth, his whole being was trembling with a strange anticipation, and his soul— _oh, his soul was burning up._

Seonghwa separated himself from Hongjoong delicately, putting only a very little distance between them. He realized slowly that the Hufflepuff had put his hands on Seonghwa’s chest at some point, where they rested still, his fingertips touching the material of his sweatshirt lightly. Seonghwa was sure Hongjoong could feel his wild heartbeat underneath his fingers; which was appropriate he supposed, since his heart was now in the Hufflepuff’s hands.

“I-I…” he started, trying to find words to formulate. He wanted to say something. 

Maybe there was no need for it, his unsaid words finding meaning in the small separation between their bodies and their heated and meaningful entangled gaze. Seonghwa had wondered for so long what it would be like to have Hongjoong look at him with something other than hatred—or confusion—and now he had just that.

The Hufflepuff Prefect was gazing at him in wonderment, as if he was someone beautiful and magical and unique.

 _I like you,_ Seonghwa thought, hoping the thought would reach Hongjoong.

Hongjoong stared at him for a moment, his fingers on Seonghwa’s chest—the side where his heart was—expanded, fully resting there now.

“It sounds so melodically,” the Hufflepuff whispered then, his eyes searching the Ravenclaw’s face.

Seonghwa frowned. “What?”

“Your heartbeat. It sounds like music.”

For some reason, it made Seonghwa blush madly. The sentence didn’t make much sense in his hazed mind, but the softness and utter awe in which Hongjoong had said them, made Seonghwa shiver.

“O-Oh,” he stuttered out dumbly.

Hongjoong suddenly turned beet red, removing his hand quickly, about to step back. “Sorry,” he mumbled, but Seonghwa caught his hand, putting it back on his heart.

“I don’t mind,” he whispered, moving his hand that wasn’t holding Hongjoong’s to rest on the Hufflepuff’s chest, nearly choking out his next breath as Hongjoong’s heartbeat was flying. They were almost beating as one.

“Okay.”

“Can we, um, kiss again?” Seonghwa asked, even if he had told himself not to be greedy, he yearned for it.

Hongjoong chuckled, delighted. “As much as I would love to, I think we should keep patrolling…”

Seonghwa pouted. “Just one last kiss, please?”

Faintly, he thought he should feel embarrassed for begging, for being so eager, but he suddenly didn’t care, not with Hongjoong’s heart underneath his fingers, feeling exactly how much of an effect he had on the Hufflepuff.

“I guess we could kiss a bit more,” Hongjoong agreed, his voice breaking. 

Seonghwa almost laughed, but he was interrupted by Hongjoong’s lips on his own once again. It felt so incredibly good and intoxicating. They were so entangled with one another that they didn’t hear the approaching footsteps, but the loud and surprised gasp did make them pull apart.

“Holy shit!” Yeeun exclaimed, clasping her hands over her mouth the moment the words had left her mouth. “Oh, my god?!”

The two Prefect boys sputtered and tried to look casual. Seonghwa ran a very distressed hand through his hair as Hongjoong tried to smoothen down his shirt, which wasn’t even wrinkled, but it gave him a chance to recompose himself.

“Um,” Seonghwa let out intelligently. “So—”

“So half of the fifth years owe me cash,” Yeeun said, grinning wildly. 

“ _What_?!” Hongjoong’s eyes widened. “You guys bet on us—kissing?”

“Not just on you guys, but yeah.” She walked closer to them. “Are you dating?” she inquired, infinitely amused.

“No!” they both said at the same time with squeaky and embarrassed tones. 

“But you will?” she further asked, a gleam in her eyes that Seonghwa did not appreciate. His cheeks felt like they were going to catch flames any second now. He hesitated before answering. He didn’t want to say no, but saying yes was a risk he wasn’t willing to take just yet. “Oh, I see.” Her grin widened.

“Not a word. Yeeun, please,” Seonghwa asked of her.

“Don’t worry, I won’t. Until you make it official I’ll keep quiet,” she reassured him. “But this is probably the best thing happening at Hogwarts since we started studying here. It’s so unexpected yet expected, you know?”

Hongjoong let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. Seonghwa wished he could know what he was thinking, but like always it was damned impossible.

“I appreciate your secrecy,” Hongjoong said, his voice strained. 

Seonghwa feared then that the Hufflepuff would ignore him, pretend this hadn’t happened, and again push him away, but to his relief Hongjoong glanced at him, a small smile on his face. Seonghwa let out a breath of relief.

“Well, this is certainly awkward.” He chuckled to himself. “I’m gonna… go.”

“Oh, no, no. Don’t mind me. I’ll be on my way, don’t let me interrupt,” Yeeun gestured in between them with her hand, “whatever was going on. I won’t snitch on you. For tonight, just ignore your Prefect duties and you know… Go crazy!”

Hongjoong sputtered, embarrassed but relieved, a weird, high pitched laugh escaping him. Seonghwa looked at him, smiling fondly. Yeeun patted them on their shoulders, lingering for a moment as she stared at them, her mischievous grin becoming a soft smile.

“All joking aside,” she started again, “I really support this. It’s nice to see how conquering love can be.” She wandered off them, waving her hands at them as she disappeared down the corridor.

Silence spread over them but it didn’t last long. The two Prefects exchanged a look and burst out into embarrassed and thrilled giggles at being caught and let off the hook so easily. Seonghwa’s heart pounded in his chest and it hit him that he didn’t want to let Hongjoong go, ever. He wanted to keep whatever they had and so much more; he wanted Hongjoong in ways he never had dreamed to be possible. He could picture them in a distant future still by each other’s sides.

The realization made him sober up and three words got stuck in his throat. He stared at Hongjoong for a moment, taking in his bright, dazzling eyes and his pink lips, his pointy nose and sharp facial features. How had he ever hated this boy? He was beautiful. Without doubt in his mind, he leaned forward on his toes and pressed his lips against Hongjoong’s, hoping that those three words—which he was still a bit scared to say—were somehow told through his kiss.

The Hufflepuff kissed him back eagerly and freely, so much more deliberately and meaningful than before, as if he too had something to tell Seonghwa that he was too scared to use his words for. When they pulled apart it felt only natural to take Hongjoong’s hand in his, it was warm and strangely soft, and small.

They walked down the corridor and spoke like they never had before, sharing little stories from their childhoods and Hogwarts, about their dreams and what they wanted to do once they graduated.

“I’ve been thinking about following my mom’s steps for a long time, but Professor Yonghwan’s is making me reconsider that,” Hongjoong was telling him. “Besides I’m not sure how the Ministry would feel about employing an unregistered Animagus.”

Seonghwa had suspected it since the night they had valiantly fought Mingi’s maker. After discovering that Yunho was an Animagus—the Labrador dog he had seen sneak into the Hospital Wing months ago, and most likely the blue dog Yeosang had seen—it wasn’t hard putting one and one together, especially after encountering Hongjoong getting dressed by the edge of the Prohibited Forest. He hadn’t brought it up, waiting for Hongjoong to reveal this himself.

“Well, they don’t need to know,” Seonghwa said, shrugging. “How did you manage that anyway? Isn’t it a very hard and complex process?”

“It is, but I don’t know. We tried and tried, did our research, and I guess—We had a very important goal in mind, which was keeping Mingi company during the full moons. I think our desire and stubbornness made us succeed.”

“That should be your motto—that stubbornness makes you succeed,” he said, laughing.

“Hey!” Hongjoong protested and Seonghwa feared, for a small moment, that he had crossed the line, but the Hufflepuff was laughing as well. “Yunho has been brewing the _Wolfsbane_ potion since our second year. He is exceptionally bright and it was mostly thanks to him that the Animagus spell worked.”

Seonghwa’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “But doesn’t he only get like only _Acceptable_ and some scattered _Outstanding_.”

“He has a very selective memory and will to study. He does what he needs to do,” Hongjoong explained. “He wants to focus on potion making once he graduates. Create new cures and such. His _Outstanding_ in _Potions_ is enough he says.”

“It’s good he knows so well what he wants to do after Hogwarts,” Seonghwa commented. “I didn’t really know what to do for a long time.”

“Do you know now?” Hongjoong inquired, turning his head slightly to glance at the Ravenclaw.

“I had a bit of an idea. I knew I wanted to work in the Ministry of Magic, prove myself worthy of a position there despite my Muggle heritage. It wasn’t until this year that I’ve decided I want to help improve the relations between wizards and half-breeds. The way they are treated is extremely unfair,” he paused, thinking about how to formulate his next sentence. “I know that Mingi isn’t exactly a half-breed, but his kind are treated very badly still. It angers me. I don’t want future generations of werewolves to have to go through all that hiding and shame.”

Hongjoong nodded his head. “His aunt was very brutal towards him, locking him in the basement and constantly blaming him for the death of his parents.”

Seonghwa’s stomach twisted unpleasantly. “I’m very sorry. That’s horrible.”

“He’s been living with Yunho for a while now and, although that’s great, no one should be shunned by their family like that.”

They reached the end of the corridor, the grand staircase reaching far and wide in front of them. They were on the third floor and they both knew their patrolling was coming to an end, but they hesitated to part ways.

When Hongjoong let go of Seonghwa’s hand and the Ravenclaw already missed the warmth.

“We should go to bed,” the Hufflepuff said softly. He gazed up at Seonghwa with very caring eyes. “I want you to know that I don’t regret any of it—the kisses were something I wanted and still want. I’m sorry for pushing you away, I just had to figure out—”

“It’s okay, don’t worry. I understand what you mean. We probably should talk about what we are doing—it’s only fair for the both of us.”

“I know right now isn’t the best of time because of the whole situation with San,” Hongjoong began and Seonghwa felt his heart turn a little heavier, he had tried hard to keep that out of his mind for the past hour to enjoy his time with Hongjoong. “But once it is settled, do you think we could talk about us?”

The Ravenclaw nodded his head, leaning forward to give the Hufflepuff a chaste kiss. “Of course.”

**~*~**

As most students of Hogwarts, Seonghwa was on his way to the Quidditch pitch with his friends. It felt weird to go down there, his mind was on their mission. He was pulled out of his thoughts by an approaching Hongjoong. The Hufflepuff was already in his Quidditch uniform, his helmet dangling from his wrist. His gray hair was tousled and whipped from one direction to another by the breeze blowing over the grounds. His eyes were bright and his cheeks flushed. In his right hand he held his Hufflepuff scarf.

“Oh, man,” muttered Jongho, grabbing Yeosang’s wrist, “we should leave.” He dragged Yeosang away, who, for once, didn’t seem too bothered about Seonghwa and Hongjoong’s evolving relationship. “Let’s look for Wooyoung. He said he would come.”

He could hear Yeosang ask in a very quiet voice, “Jongho, do you think it is possible to love two people at the same time?” They were too far away for him to catch Jongho’s answer to that.

Seonghwa felt a bit mortified when Hongjoong stopped in front of him, close enough that the Ravenclaw could get a whiff of his cinnamon-apple body wash—the one that he had accidentally used a couple of times himself. A few lingering students shot them curious looks.

Hongjoong clutched his chest dramatically, calming his breath.

“Hey,” he said then, as nonchalant as was possible, which wasn’t much to be fair. He looked nervous and embarrassed, his cheeks even redder than before. Thankfully, the body of students was thinning out and soon it was just the two of them, alone. “I was, uh, wondering…” he started but didn’t continue, staring at Seonghwa in the hopes the Ravenclaw would get the gist.

Seonghwa had a feeling he knew what Hongjoong wanted from him, but he wanted to hear him say it.

“You were wondering?” Seonghwa repeated, grinning.

Hongjoong cleared his throat. “I was wondering, if you would wear the Hufflepuff scarf to cheer me on?” he formulated his question with quick and stumbled words. He was breathing heavily, sticking out the scarf for Seonghwa to take.

Seonghwa leaned forward and pressed his lips against Hongjoong’s. The Hufflepuff let out a surprised sound but complied easily, his hands coming up around Seonghwa’s face, one of them softly gripping his raven hair. He was growing more confident with their kisses and Seonghwa loved it, his heart soaring. He grabbed the scarf and pulled away, putting the scarf around his neck.

“Of course I will wear it,” he said, smiling. He was caught off guard by the soft and enamoured look in Hongjoong’s eyes. It was raw and overwhelmingly joyous. As if he couldn’t imagine a better thing than looking at Seonghwa. The idea made his heart race and stumble and _fall_. He leaned forward again to press a chaste kiss against Hongjoong’s lips. “For good luck,” he whispered.

Hongjoong smiled so wide and so bright, all of the night sky’s stars in his eyes.


	23. The Choi's Heirloom

It was only a few hours after the Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor Quidditch match had ended. They had prepared their mission as best as possible in these past days—given the short time they had—going through the details more times than Seonghwa would have done himself. He had been so focused on saving San and mend Wooyoung’s broken heart, that he had completely ignored the danger factor of what they were going to do. He was glad they had let the Hufflepuffs and tall Gryffindor in on the secret, allowing their help.

The plan was supposed to be the following:

1- San—since he couldn’t leave Hogwarts anyway—was going to create a distraction to maneuver any attention away from Headmistress Min’s office.

2- Once the distraction was in play and any patrolling Prefects, Head Boy or Girl, and Caretaker Baekhyun were drawn towards it, they would sneak towards the statue that guarded the entrance. Yunho had managed to get the password needed to enter the office on Friday, if it had changed in that short time they would be screwed, but they were hopeful. They couldn’t afford _not_ being.

3- The moment the seven of them were inside Headmistress Min’s study, they needed to activate her fireplace that led to the Ministry Atrium. Only Wooyoung and Mingi had ever traveled through Floo Network. They were counting on them to know how to utilize it. San had managed to obtain some Floo Powder for them from a source he didn’t want to give away. (Most likely Jungkook.)

4- Once inside the Ministry of Magic, they had to find the lifts that would take them to Level Nine, where the Department of Mysteries was on, and find the room containing the heirlooms. None of them knew what it looked like or where _exactly_ it was—or how well guarded it would be. But San had told them it wasn’t as well protected as the Department of Mysteries.

5- The moment they would get hold of the Choi family ring, they would put a replica in its place and sneak all the way back to the Atrium to get back to their school, hoping that they wouldn’t bump into any surprises on their way back. They didn’t believe it would take long and that they’d be back before dawn, but none of them could be too sure.

The worst part about all of this, Seonghwa believed, was that their fates lay in the hands of a stranger. They were getting help from someone inside the Ministry, a guard that was an acquaintance of Felix. No matter how many times Jongho reassured them that he was trustworthy, Seonghwa was devoured by anxiety and nerves regarding this mission. But they didn’t have a choice, they couldn’t wait to develop a better plan, they couldn’t afford trusting an adult with this entire story. They were far too deeply involved now; and Wooyoung wouldn’t back down, so neither did the rest of them.

The first half of their mission went well. Seonghwa watched how the statue revealed the staircase to the study, rising up to the ceiling. He stepped forward, his friends following close behind. He cast the _Alohomora_ spell to open the office’s door. It was dark inside.

“ _Lumos,_ ” he muttered. His surroundings brightened up in a blue, white-ish light, making everything look rather ghostly. His shoulders were tense and he clutched his wand tightly as he moved through the empty study towards the other end where the fireplace stood.

Overall their plan was solid and theoretically it should work, but there were a lot of holes and moments in it that he was worried about. If they were caught, it could have monumental consequences on all of their lives. They were all aware of that, but they still had agreed. San had mentioned more than once that he wouldn’t blame them if they changed their minds.

But for Wooyoung that wasn’t an option. He couldn’t give up on San. And if Wooyoung was sure of it, so were Seonghwa, Yeosang, and Jongho. It appeared that their connected belief and conviction had infected Hongjoong, Yunho, and Mingi. The eight of them worked as a team—as _one_.

There was something beautiful about it, Seonghwa thought, despite the danger they were about to face.

Wooyoung stepped forward, retrieving a little velvet bag from his jeans pocket. In it was the Floo Powder. He turned around to face the six other boys.

“Alright,” he said, grabbing a handful of the powder. “Basically—how this works—you grab a fistful of the Floo Powder, stand inside the fireplace, and say the name of your location loud and clear. In this case this would be Atrium, Ministry of Magic. Then you throw the powder down and _swoosh_ , you should be transported.”

“It’s very important that you formulate your destination clearly,” Mingi added seriously. “I once landed in a stranger’s house. That was not fun!”

Wooyoung handed the bag around. “Who wants to go first?” he asked.

“I’ll go.” Seonghwa stepped forward, into the fireplace. He took in a deep breath, calming his nerves. He glanced at Hongjoong, finding comfort in his deep brown eyes. Who would have thought? A small smile fought its way onto his face. “Atrium, Ministry of Magic,” he said, throwing the powder onto the logless fireplace.

Headmistress Min’s office vanished from his sight and for a moment all he could make out were distorted blobs in front of him. Nausea hit him like a wave, but before he could even heave out a trembling sigh, he was catapulted out of a fireplace and onto a dark wooden floor. Seonghwa willed himself to breathe in and out evenly. Behind him he heard the rest of his group starting to tumble out of the fireplace.

He blinked up at a dark, peacock blue ceiling. They were in the Atrium. They had actually managed it.

Seonghwa scrambled up, dusting off his pants. He stared at the long and wide corridor ahead of them, fireplaces lining both walls. He imagined it looked a lot less empty in the daytime, especially during the morning, when wizards occupied these floors dressed in their polished suits. But in the dead of the night, the Ministry of Magic was eerily quiet and empty and huge. The noises the boys made as they got up and checked up on each other echoed throughout the Atrium. 

In the far distance, Seonghwa could make out a dark and big shadow that stood motionless.

“The Fountain of Magical Brethren,” Hongjoong explained as he joined Seonghwa’s side, his wand drawn out and held out in front of him. It sparked alive with the _Lumos_ spell. “The lifts should be somewhere behind it.” He pointed his wand in the vague direction of the fountain. “We should be able to access the heirloom room easily—if the intel Jongho has is correct, of course,” he said thoughtfully. 

“It’s only a lift ride to the Level below us, how bad can that be?” Yunho said. He was smiling warily. Despite his usually cheerful manners he held a look of apprehension now.

Seonghwa shivered. “I just hope the guard Jongho bribed actually held his part of the deal.”

“He _did_ maintain the connection of the fireplace open,” pointed out Wooyoung. 

“I believe in him. Felix said he is a trustworthy friend,” Jongho told them, crossing his arms in front of his chest, shivering. “Is everyone ready?”

The seven boys exchanged a look, nodding their heads at one another, and began walking down the Atrium’s hallway towards the fountain. Upon closer inspection, Seonghwa could see that it was made out of different golden figures: two humans—most likely a witch and a wizard—and then there was a centaur, a house elf, and a goblin. He found it a bit distasteful, especially considering the unjust treatment of several creatures in the magical world.

He pulled his gaze away from the fountain and glanced at Mingi, who wore his ever present impassive expression, but his eyes flickered over the fountain too. Seonghwa witnessed with astonishment that Yeosang brushed his hand against Mingi’s in a delicate manner—it could have been an accident, it could have been nothing—but Yeosang wasn’t the most touch oriented person.

It definitely wasn’t an accident. 

Mingi drew his eyes away from the fountain to look at Yeosang questioningly. The Ravenclaw boy simply tapped his index finger on the back of Mingi’s hand twice before he put a little distance between them again.

Wooyoung seemed to have witnessed it as well, tilting his head curiously. He caught Seonghwa staring and smiled.

“Seems like you and Hongjoong aren’t the only ones putting your differences aside,” he whispered only for them to hear.

“It seems that we aren’t,” Seonghwa agreed.

When they got to the lifts, Jongho opened the gate that separated them from the rest of the Atrium. Just like the guard had promised, it was unlocked, and one of the lifts had its doors opened, electricity blinking inside. They rushed inside.

“Level Nine, was it?” Yunho asked Wooyoung as his finger hovered over the button. The shorter Gryffindor nodded.

The elevator sprung alive violently, and shook dangerously. The lift’s doors closed and it began descending. Hongjoong stumbled and crashed into Seonghwa. He put a hand on the Hufflepuff’s shoulder so he wouldn’t move too much. Of course, Seonghwa could feel his friends’s gazes on them, and he possessed the dignity to not blush too much.

He could tell Wooyoung was smirking infuriatingly in the same way that Yunho was. None of them appeared to notice the subtle hand holding that was going on between Mingi and Yeosang. Well, they weren’t exactly holding hands, but Mingi’s fingers were pressed tightly against Yeosang’s, caressing them slowly.

Yeosang caught Seonghwa staring and he blushed fiercely, looking down at his shoes.

 _Huh_ , Seonghwa thought, _interesting_. He always had hoped one day someone would fall in love with Yeosang and cherish him, he hadn’t thought that someone would be Song Mingi.

They reached Level Nine with an abrupt stop. The lift’s door opened with a whirring noise that sounded horribly loud in the otherwise empty floor. It was dark with the exception of some torches attached to the walls, which emitted a ghostly blue-white light. The corridor spread out far, no windows or doors. It was eerie.

“The Courtroom is down there,” explained Wooyoung, his face carefully blank as he nodded at a staircase nearby. “On Level Ten.” He then pointed at the corridor. “This is the Department of Mysteries. The door by the far end is the actual entrance to the Department, but after the war they build in another one that leads to several sub-departments,” he explained while he began walking towards the door on the side of the corridor, it was an obsidian black and looked heavy. 

“How do you know all of this?” Mingi asked in wonderment. He hadn’t been present during the discussion of the plan as he had been busy with school work—he had been failing a few subjects, and Hongjoong was not going to stand by and watch his friend fail.

“Eunmi—my aunt—she works in the Ministry. She knows a few things,” Wooyoung explained with a shrug. He looked over at Seonghwa and Jongho. “You said you knew how to unlock a door without a key, and without magic.”

Jongho produced a couple of safety pins from his pocket, handing one to Seonghwa.

“I still don’t believe that’s going to work,” Yunho pointed out, his arms crossed in front of his chest. “Surely, the Minister would have heavy protection to prevent anyone from entering this place unless they have the key and—” He stumbled over his words as the door clicked open.

“Wizards are kinda arrogant,” said Jongho, fist bumping Seonghwa. “They don’t believe anyone would use Muggle tricks, purely because they’re deemed as useless.” He held the door open for them.

Yunho stepped through first, glancing around, his wand held high to shed light onto the dim corridor.

“That’s kinda sad,” muttered Hongjoong, following him.

“It’s problematic,” Wooyoung said heatedly. “They shouldn’t think so low of Muggles, especially not since a big part of the wizarding community is made out of Muggle-born.” He was glowering at the door. He let out a sigh, shaking his head. He walked through as well, Yeosang and Seonghwa following him. Lastly, Mingi and Jongho passed through the door.

Similar to the corridor they had come from, it was made out of dark tiles and there were no windows, but doors lined the sides, some were opened in an inviting way. There were labels on the doors, which made the entire ordeal a tenfold easier.

“Thank Merlin,” muttered Hongjoong as if reading Seonghwa’s mind. “What did San say the room was named?”

“He didn’t say a name. Just that it served as a way to remember the Second Wizarding War,” Wooyoung told him.

The seven of them began advancing cautiously, their wands in front of them in a defensive manner. Even though no one should know they were there, there was always something that could go wrong, a detail that had escaped their minds, such as the guard that suddenly rounded the corner, his eyes widening at the sight of them.

“Hey!” he yelled, pointing his wand at them. “You’re not meant to be here!” He was young, probably just graduated from Hogwarts. 

“ _Stupefy_!” Seonghwa was quick in casting a spell upon him, but the guard dodged it.

“Why is he here?” hissed Wooyoung, running to the side to avoid the spell the guard was throwing at them.

“I don’t know. Felix said his friend would make sure no one would be on patrol down here,” Jongho answered.

“To be fair, Felix said his friend would _try_ , and that we probably wouldn’t have much time. Maybe we did take too long,” Yeosang pointed out. “ _Stupefy_!” He swung his wand, hitting the guard straight in his chest. “We should hurry.”

“Maybe this was a mistake,” said Mingi, biting down on his bottom lip anxiously. “Maybe we should—”

“No. We promised,” Hongjoong interjected decidedly. “They helped us.”

Mingi sighed, nodding his head. Yunho and Mingi dragged the guard to the side, leaning him against the wall. 

“Does anyone know a spell that erases memories? Like temporary amnesia?” Yunho inquired. He was met by silence. “Great. Let’s hope he didn’t get a chance to identify our faces.”

“And that he doesn’t wake up before we find what we came for,” Mingi added.

“No need to worry,” Wooyoung said. He was a few steps ahead of them, staring at a door. “I think this is it.” It was one of the few doors that were opened. When Seonghwa approached him he spotted a long row of shelves that raised up scaringly high, the ceiling seemed unending. “Do you reckon _Accio_ would work here?” Seonghwa shrugged. “ _Accio_ Choi ring.” Nothing happened. “I suppose not.”

Seonghwa entered the room. “At least it seems the heirlooms and other objects are in alphabetical order. That should make it easier.”

“Let’s spread out,” Hongjoong said, galvanizing the other six boys.

Seonghwa walked past rows and rows of crystal boxes, that each contained one object: a ring, a tiara, spectacles, a bracelet or necklace… They had a shimmer to them as if an invisible light was shining down on them. There was something sacred about the room and part of him felt as though he shouldn’t be there—technically he shouldn’t, but it was more than that. As if he was walking through a lane full of stories that had never seen the light of the day, and weren’t supposed to.

He wondered how many stories like San’s were hidden between these shelves. Stories of a dark war that was far from uncovered. He swallowed when he walked by a glass box containing a child’s toy.

“I think I found it!” came Yunho’s voice from somewhere. The boys hurried over to him. “Could this be San’s family ring?” he asked Wooyoung.

The smaller Gryffindor inspected the object closely. The label below the box read: _Choi’s Heirloom_. The ring was silver and there was an inscription on it, words in latin that Seonghwa didn’t know the meaning of.

“ _Family above all else_ ,” recited Wooyoung. “It’s their saying. San once told me.” He reached out his hand to grab the small box and tried to open it. With a resigned sigh he let it drop onto the floor, where it crashed and broke apart. He picked up the ring, putting it on. For a moment something akin to pain flashed through his eyes. “I suppose we can leave.”

“Well, that was easy,” muttered Jongho after he had put the fake ring in the box, repairing it with an easy spell, and back on the shelf.

“We’re not back in Hogwarts yet,” pointed out Yunho grimly. “Who knows what could happen still.”

“Don’t be so negative,” Hongjoong reprimanded him with a sigh. “But I guess you’re right.”

“Don’t jinx us,” Jongho bemoaned.

The seven boys walked back to the exit of the room in somber quietness. Yunho’s words had dimmed down the rush of success upon finding San’s family ring. He was right, as long as they weren’t back in Hogwarts—each of them in their respective beds—they couldn’t let their guards down.

When they were back in the corridor with the many doors, they stopped in their steps. A man was leaning over the guard they had fought earlier. Seonghwa quickly raised his wand, ready to cast a spell, but Jongho’s sharp intake of breath made him stop. The Slytherin took a tentative step forward, his head tilted to the side as he stared at the stranger.

“Uncle Yeol?” he muttered in confusion and shock.

“ _What_?!” Wooyoung choked out, his eyes bulging out of its sockets.

The stranger whipped around, startled. Seonghwa nearly dropped his wand when he did recognize the man. It was in fact Jongho’s uncle. What was he doing there? He was a Muggle.

“I should’ve known,” Jongho whispered, terrified. “I should have known—when I read mom’s letter—that it was you.”

“Who is that?” asked Hongjoong at the same time as Yeosang said, “What should you have known?”

Jongho turned to face his friends. “San’s guess about my parents being involved in this Order of Lilith wasn’t so far off. My mom told me she had heard of this order from Yeol since they both had been involved in occultism during their youth. I didn’t believe that there was a connection. It just seemed too far-fetched, but…” He shrugged, facing his uncle once again.

Yeol scoffed. “Yeah, you wizards never believe, huh? Even you Jongho, born from Muggles, have become arrogant as the rest of them. Then again, you aren’t quite your mother’s son, are you?”

“What, in Merlin’s name, is happening?” Hongjoong demanded. He looked confused and mildly terrified.

Yeol grinned. Jongho’s eyes turned into slits as he regarded his uncle with an angered look. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ll let you know your true nature in exchange for that ring,” Yeol said.

“I think you aren’t exactly in position to make demands,” Wooyoung said, his tone icy cold. “You are a Muggle facing six equipped wizards. We could take you out easily.”

“Are you sure about that?” Yeol moved one hand to his neck, where a silver chain was hidden beneath his sweatshirt. “One twist of this and these corridors will be flooded with Lilith’s followers.”

Seonghwa frowned. “What?”

“The Order of Lilith will change the world. To do so, we need that ring,” Yeol explained haughtily, his eyes stopping on Jongho, “and you, dear nephew. You’re the key to all of this.”

Suddenly, Wooyoung stepped forward and without a warning he flicked his wand. “ _Stupefy_!” his voice resonated loudly in the shocked silence. Yeol flew backwards, hitting the wall where the guard was leaning against. He fell onto the floor, unconscious.

“ _Wooyoung_!” protested Yeosang.

“What?” The Gryffindor turned around to look at them. “Were we really meant to stand here and listen to his story? He was just buying himself time. Plus, we weren’t going to give him the ring or Jongho anyway.” Seonghwa supposed there was a bit of truth to his words. “And I wasn’t going to wait for him to call for the Order of Lilith. They’re creepy. They _killed_ San,” he added the last bit quietly, his voice strained with anger and pain.

“I mean…” Yunho said, trailing off with a shrug. “He’s got a point.”

Jongho was still standing in the same spot, frozen. He was frowning and fear was written all over his face. “I don’t understand. How could he—? And who _exactly_ is my mother if not my Muggle one?”

“We will figure it out,” Wooyoung promised him. “For now, we should make sure that he’ll be interrogated by the Ministry, I don’t trust him.”

Jongho faltered, his eyes shimmering with tears. Yeosang drew him close to hug him. “Everything will be alright,” he murmured soothingly. Mingi walked over to Jongho to pat his shoulder in a way only awkward dads could manage.

“I know a spell with which we could create a rope. He wouldn’t be able to escape,” Hongjoong said. “We could write a note so the guard knows,” he offered, glancing around.

“That’s a good idea,” Wooyoung agreed. He bent over Yeol’s body and grabbed the necklace. He inspected it. It was made out of silver and looked like a clockwork. He ripped it off, storing it discreetly in his trouser pocket. “I wonder how the mechanism works. Or do you think he was bluffing when he said he could call over the Order of Lilith?”

“I think it matters little now. We should just get back to Hogwarts. Let the Ministry deal with him,” Seonghwa said, worriedly looking at Jongho, he was crying into Yeosang’s shoulder now. “Jongho needs to rest.”

Wooyoung hesitated. “I think… I think someone should interrogate Yeol before the Ministry gets to him. I shall negotiate with him.”

“Are you insane?” Seonghwa hissed. “Wooyoung, what—”

“Jongho deserves to know the truth and Yeol is our best shot,” the Gryffindor argued.

“I’ll stay with Wooyoung, make sure he will be fine,” Yunho suddenly spoke up, giving Seonghwa a reassuring smile. “You guys should head back to Hogwarts and make sure Jongho is okay.”

Wooyoung removed San’s ring from his finger to hand it to Seonghwa. “Give this to San. It’s important he hides it so no one can destroy it.”

Seonghwa stared at the Gryffindors in disbelief; had they completely lost their minds? Hongjoong was now standing right behind him, his hand coming up to delicately hold onto Seonghwa’s elbow. The Ravenclaw Prefect glanced down at him. 

“Let them,” Hongjoong said. “They’re strong. You can’t protect everyone, Seonghwa. Sometimes you have to give the control away.”

“We will be fine,” Wooyoung told him softly.

Seonghwa looked at them, the warmth of Hongjoong’s hand was slowly calming him down. Then he let his eyes wander over to Yeosang, Mingi, and Jongho, they were looking back at him. Jongho seemed to have calmed down a bit too. His eyes were still wide though.

“Okay. Fine,” Seonghwa reluctantly accepted. “One hour. One hour and you come back to Hogwarts.” Wooyoung nodded his head, smiling. “I mean it, Wooyoung.”

“We will be back within an hour,” Yunho promised him. “Whether we get information or not,” he added, glancing at Wooyoung meaningfully. “And we will make sure the Ministry locks him up.”

They parted ways, five of them walking back to the lift with a heavy silence hanging over them. Jongho was clinging to Yeosang, as they rode the elevator Seonghwa moved forward so he could hug his Slytherin friend as well, hoping that he could feel he was loved and cherished. That they wouldn’t turn their backs on him, no matter whose son he was, no matter what Yeol and the Order of Lilith had done.

The Atrium was just as empty as before and it didn’t take them long before they stood back in Headmistress Min’s office—they had split the remaining Floo Powder so that both parties would have enough to travel back. Seonghwa was surprised to see that it was still the middle of the night, the moon shining brightly from behind a wall of clouds.

“Let’s leave before something happens—” Mingi started, letting out a yelp when a ghost walked through the wall. “ _San_!” he protested, clutching his chest with his hand. He blushed when Yeosang let out a chuckle.

San looked at them with concern. “Where’s Wooyoung?” he asked urgently. “Seonghwa, where is Wooyoung?” he repeated. There was an expression of pure fear on his face and Seonghwa realized for the first time how much San must love Wooyoung. Usually, he hid it away, deep so that no one could see it, to protect Wooyoung, but it was so clear now. As if a veil had been lifted.

“He is still in the Ministry—with Yunho,” Seonghwa explained slowly. He removed the ring from his finger. “We’ve found the heirloom—”

“I don’t care about the stupid heirloom!” San shouted.

“Wasn’t that the whole point of the mission?” Hongjoong interjected, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

San faltered, looking small. “It was, but—not if the price is Wooyoung.”

“He is fine,” Yeosang assured him. “He is interrogating Jongho’s uncle with Yunho.”

For a moment all the fear vanished from San’s face to replace it with utter confusion. “What?”

“We should leave,” Mingi pressed, interrupting the conversation. “How about we meet in the Kitchens. They’re empty around this hour. We can talk peacefully there.”

**~*~**

The two Gryffindors were walking back from the lifts, the Atrium was still as dark and empty as before. The Fountain of Magical Brethren was eerie. Wooyoung had never liked it, as a child the goblin had terrified him—it still did if he was honest, after all it reminded him of the day he had gone to Courtroom Ten, to see his father sentenced to another couple of years at Azkaban.

His threatening words still echoed through Wooyoung’s mind, they would probably never leave him. No matter how big the gap grew in between that memory and the present, it managed to persist. Even if he grew grey and old, he had the suspicion he’d hear those words as life faded out of him.

He shook his head, glancing away from the fountain.

“I can’t believe you had a second copy of the ring,” Yunho said again, still baffled by the simple maneuver Wooyoung had used to trick Yeol into believing they were giving him the Choi family ring. “That was smart.”

He shrugged grinning. Some of his usual joy came back, not at full force but it was something. A ghost of the once cheerful and cocky Wooyoung. “Well, I figured it couldn’t hurt having a spare copy.”

He knew it would take time before he could feel joy again; utter a smile without it being tiring. He felt guilty when he smiled or laughed now. After all, how could he be happy if he was so close to losing San? He still hoped that the Slytherin ghost would let them help him regain his body and human life, but San was as stubborn as Wooyoung.

When they got to the fireplace in the Atrium that would take them back, Yunho grabbed Wooyoung’s wrist gently. A look full of worry passed through his eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked suddenly.

Wooyoung was taken aback, the ‘yes’ that he had grown so used to say these past days—a crafted mechanical answer to not disquiet anyone—got stuck in his throat. There was something disarming about Yunho’s sincerity and genuine concern, that Wooyoung couldn’t lie. He took in a shaking breath.

“I don’t know. I’m trying to be okay,” he answered honestly.

“It’s okay if you are not. You’re allowed. I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose your—” he hesitated, biting his bottom lip. “To lose San,” he settled for saying.

Wooyoung had his hands balled into fists now, clenching them so hard he was most likely going to draw blood, but he couldn’t let the pain running through his veins, burning his mind, shattering his heart—the pain consuming him since San told them he was going to leave that year—he couldn’t let that pain win, he couldn’t break down in the middle of the Ministry Atrium. 

He took a staggering breath. “It’s difficult,” he said. Yunho opened his mouth but closed it again. He glanced around as if to remember that they were in the Ministry.

“If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here for you,” he offered.

Wooyoung choked out a laugh, the first tears were already rolling down. “You’re too tall for me to cry on your shoulders,” he muttered. Yunho let out a surprised laugh. “Come on, we should go before it’s too late.” 

He split the remnants of Floo Powder between Yunho and him, and within one breath and another they were back in Hogwarts. They sneaked out of Headmistress Min’s office, it wasn’t as tense as the sneaking in had been. The first signs of dawn were visible outside, they probably had around 2-3 hours of sleep before classes would start.

They rounded the corner to the staircase that led up to the Kitchens, where their friends were waiting for them. After passing through the painting, the two Gryffindors were immediately assaulted by their friends.

“I said one hour, Wooyoung! One. Hour,” came Seonghwa’s angry yet relieved voice as he squished Wooyoung into a bone crushing hug, Yeosang joined seconds later.

“Oof.”

“Why did you take so long?” asked the smaller Ravenclaw.

“Yeol was being… a prick,” Wooyoung answered.

“But we got some information,” Yunho added as he was still being crushed by his two Hufflepuff friends. “Where is Jongho?”

“Sleeping in my bed,” Yeosang explained. “He fell asleep right away. I think it all drained him.”

“Where is San?” asked Wooyoung. The silence somehow felt a tenfold louder. Everyone knew what San meant to Wooyoung, and now that there was so little time left for them they didn’t know how to treat him; what to say. They walked around him as if he was a wounded creature that could lash out any moment. 

“He is hiding the ring,” Yeosang finally replied. “He was very worried about you,” he added. Seonghwa elbowed him. Wooyoung was glad, though, that Yeosang had told him. However painful it was, at least he knew—he _knew_ now—that San liked him back in some way.

All those years he had believed it was a painfully, one-sided love. Unrequited and doomed; cursed. Something meant to haunt him and tear his heart apart; and even if now, more than ever, it was painful, it wasn’t unrequited. That changed everything.

“We should meet tomorrow to discuss this,” Wooyoung said.

“When? We’ve got classes, we could—” Yeosang was saying.

“We can’t drop our academics. We can’t stop functioning as humans,” Hongjoong said sternly. “I know this is important—believe me, I _know._ ” He glanced at Mingi. “I know you want to throw everything aside and immediately help your friend, find the solution… But we need to sleep, we need to eat, we need to fulfill our roles here at Hogwarts as students. We can meet right after classes are over.”

Reluctantly, Wooyoung agreed. “But I’m not sleeping in the Gryffindor Tower. If Jongho gets to sleep over, so do I.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, raising his chin defiantly.

“You know there’s always space in my bed,” Seonghwa told him, rolling his eyes.


	24. Child Of Lilith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright so updates might slow down considerably from now on!

To say that Hogwarts’s students were confused when they entered the Great Hall for lunch and found Seonghwa, Yeosang, Wooyoung, and Jongho sitting by the far end of the Hufflepuff table, joined by Yunho of course, was an understatement. Many had noticed the lack of pranks going on between Seonghwa and Hongjoong, but no one had ever believed to see the day the two Prefects would willingly share their meals, or that their two groups of friends would fit into one another so easily.

“I feel very observed,” said Yeosang, shifting uncomfortably. He played with the golden bird as he stared at his still empty plate.

“Just ignore them,” Mingi told him.

Yeosang shot him a look. “That’s easier said than done.” 

“Look at me then, until you forget them,” he whispered, but Seonghwa still heard.

He nearly blushed in secondhand embarrassment. He snuck a glance at Yeosang, whose cheeks were nearly as red as the red in Yunho and Wooyoung’s Gryffindor robes. _Dear God,_ he thought to himself. He hoped him and Hongjoong wouldn’t end up being that cheesy—he hoped they weren’t already.

 _Hongjoong_ , he thought and glanced at the boy in front of him. The Hufflepuff Prefect was busy speaking with Wooyoung, their heads bent together as they discussed the Order of Lilith quietly. 

“Guys, we agreed not to address this here,” Yunho muttered, shooting them a meaningful look. Hongjoong and Wooyoung drew apart. They had decided it was too dangerous to speak about the matters while they were surrounded by so many prying eyes and eager ears.

“It’s just—We’ve got spare time now, we shouldn’t be wasting it,” said Wooyoung.

“You need to eat, Woo,” Seonghwa told him sternly. “I want to know what you guys discovered and of course persuade San into agreeing with us, but—we need to eat. Hongjoong was right. We can’t stop functioning as human beings.”

Wooyoung sighed, annoyed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. His pettiness didn’t last long as San joined them. He looked tired and worn out for a ghost, but the moment he smiled, it visibly lifted his face.

“I found a good hiding spot for the ring, I should be fine for now,” he told them. “Thank you for doing this to me. I-I shall never forget, for as long as I am here I—”

“San,” Yeosang interrupted him. “You don’t owe us anything.”

The Slytherin ghost stilled, staring at the Ravenclaw, a flash of pain crossed his expression, something breaking within him. Tears shimmered in his eyes. Seonghwa knew that feeling, hearing words that were meant to clear one’s conscience and lift him from all guilt, but instead it just bore the stake further into the heart, tearing the wound even more open. He supposed that, ultimately, it was part of the healing process, if one allowed it.

“I-I,” San struggled to find his words. A couple of Hufflepuff students were watching in awe as San started silently crying. “I do feel like I owe you though.”

“You don’t,” Wooyoung said fiercely. He still had his arms crossed and Seonghwa could see that his hands were fists, his knuckles white with how hard he was clutching them. 

His heart hurt. He wasn’t sure how long it would take Wooyoung to exit the pits of sorrow and despair; for how long were they going to try and mend his shattered heart? It was already so painful and San wasn’t even gone yet.

“ _Woo_ ,” San said. It was just a word—a simple nickname Yeosang had started using years ago—but it held so much more in it. 

“ _San_ ,” Wooyoung said with the same meaning.

Electricity seemed to cackle between them, their entangled gazes drawing everyone’s attention on them. It was mesmerizing as much as it was painful to watch them. Seonghwa looked away, catching Hongjoong staring at him. He offered him a sad smile. Hongjoong smiled back.

“Do you want to share food?” Hongjoong asked quietly.

Seonghwa tilted his head, glancing at the still empty table, any second now it would fill up with the elves’s cooking. “There will be enough food for everyone, there is no need to share it.”

Hongjoong flinched, turning beet red. “Right.” He quickly turned his head to strike up a conversation with Yunho, who had witnessed the exchange and was trying his best not to laugh.

Jongho groaned. “Hwa, I love you but you can be so stupid sometimes.” Seonghwa scoffed, offended. “He was trying to do a romantic gesture,” Jongho hissed, his words quiet enough that only Seonghwa heard them.

“ _Oh_.”

“Yeah, ‘oh’.” Jongho rolled his eyes. “I don’t even know how you two managed to get this far in your relationship.”

“Hey, shut up. We are taking things slow,” he told his friend, glancing at the Hufflepuff Prefect and hoping he wasn’t hearing them.

“I doubt you are taking things _anywhere_.” Seonghwa glowered at his friend, making a grotesque gesture with his hand.

Jongho only laughed, delighted.

Seonghwa cleared his throat. “We could share the desert?” he said, his voice rising an octave, and he felt very embarrassed. He wished a hole would open up below him and whisk him away, but thankfully Hongjoong smiled and it was bright and beautiful. And Seonghwa forgot all about the shame.

“I’d like that.”

“ _Whipped_ ,” muttered Jongho, blinking innocently when Seonghwa shot him a glare.

**~*~**

Once again, they were in the classroom on the fourth floor. It was slowly becoming sort of a base to discuss their plans and strategies. There was something exciting about it, Seonghwa thought. The eight of them gathered around the table they usually played _Dungeons & Dragons _ at—except for San who floated by the far end of the table, his arms crossed and his eyes wide.

The tension was thick in the air, none of them dared to ask, but they all thought it. Wooyoung finally opened his mouth to explain what they had managed to gather from Yeol. Seonghwa feared that it wouldn’t be much, but to his surprise there was a lot to tell.

“At first he was being an asshole—sorry, Jongho. I know he’s your uncle and all, but _holy shit_ ,” Wooyoung said. The Slytherin boy shook his head dismissively.

“After this, I don’t feel an ounce of pity towards him,” Jongho assured him.

“Thankfully, I had another copy of the ring, which I gave him in exchange for information. He was very eager. He told us that Jongho is in fact the one the prophecy talks about and that the Order of Lilith granted him a gift, even before he was born, yadda-yadda. It was all information we already knew,” Wooyoung was continuing, his eyes bright. “Then I asked, what he meant when he said that his sister wasn’t Jongho’s mother. He laughed and went on this evil rant—”

“Can you please explain it, Yunho?” Hongjoong interrupted Wooyoung. “He’s taking too long.”

“Hey! Rude!” the smaller Gryffindor protested, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Okay, well…” He eyed Jongho carefully. “Yeol said that Jongho has the blood of Lilith in him. That he is her son. Not sure how that works, he wouldn’t get into the details, but apparently he had been planning that long before Jongho was born, unbeknownst to his sister and her husband. He went behind their back to play some sick experiment.”

Jongho took in a staggering breath. He had his head lowered, his hands on the table, balled into fists, his knuckles so white it looked painful. Seonghwa was sitting two seats over and he wanted to lean over and make sure he was okay. Thankfully, Yeosang was there, always by Jongho’s side, and put an arm around him reassuringly.

“What else did he say?” Hongjoong asked, his voice thin.

“He said that the Order of Lilith couldn’t be stopped because Jongho would become the next dark wizard. That he was on his way to fulfill his destiny,” Yunho continued. He hesitated, glancing at San. “He said that Jongho would have a reason to use his magic fairly soon, and once he did there was no coming back.”

San’s lips parted, a soundless gasp. 

Seonghwa felt himself pale. “You mean—” He looked at San as well.

“ _No_. I told you no,” the ghost said furiously. “No matter how many times you try to convince me, I don’t want to put you into such danger. Even less now.” He floated out of the room.

“San!” Seonghwa protested, standing up, but Wooyoung was quicker, leaving the room, where San had disappeared through the wall.

“I’ll get him,” the Gryffindor muttered. “Just make sure Jongho is okay.”

At the mention of his name, Jongho slowly looked up. He had tear stained cheeks, his eyes swimming, but he seemed to have calmed down a bit. Yeosang was around him like a protective blanket.

“What else did Yeol say about me?”

Yunho looked guilty.

“Not much. Just that. That you are Lilith’s son and that they were trying to use San against you. He said that, as long as you don’t do anything that would require that darkness to take hold of you, you should be fine. And that the order would never stop looking for you…” He swallowed. “But you are at Hogwarts for now, you should be safe here.”

“Do you think maybe we should tell a professor about this?” Mingi asked quietly. Seonghwa had thought about it too.

“I think it’s only fair for Jongho to decide that,” said Hongjoong. “This is much bigger than whether we get kicked out of Hogwarts or not… If another war could break out due to this, I think it’s best we _don’t_ keep it a secret.”

Jongho stayed quiet, staring into the distance with a far-away look in his eyes. “I’ll think about it,” he mumbled. “For now, I want to sleep.”

“Of course,” said Yeosang, removing himself slightly so that the Slytherin boy could stand up. They left the classroom, leaving Seonghwa alone with Yunho, Mingi, and Hongjoong. An unpleasant and tense silence settled over them.

“I’m sorry to have dragged you into this,” Seonghwa started. “I didn’t think it would have ended up being this dangerous.”

“It’s okay,” Hongjoong promised him, ignoring that his friends’s eyes were on them he reached out his hand across the table to take Seonghwa’s delicately. “You helped us when we needed it, so we help you. We’re eight now—a team.”

~*~

Jongho fiddled with his thumbs as he waited in Headmistress Min’s study. She had excused herself, saying she needed to receive a guest, who was running late, that wanted to meet Jongho. The Slytherin had no idea who it could be. At first, he had feared that their little trip to the Ministry hadn’t gone by as secretly as they all believed, but it wouldn’t have made sense that only Jongho got called in.

Despite the horrors slowly settling down, he knew that the issue was far from fixed. Yeol was somewhere in containment right now and, hopefully, being interrogated by the Ministry, but the order was still out there, enough followers walking freely. Jongho still felt the darkness inside of him. San was still a ghost with only a couple of months to exist. 

Their problems were far from fixed, but at least they were in a pleasant calmness for the time being.

The office’s door opened and in came Headmistress Min followed by a man in his twenties. He looked kind, with soft eyes that immediately made some of the tension in Jongho’s shoulders ebb out. The man smiled at him, offering his hand towards the Slytherin.

“Choi Jongho?” he inquired. Jongho nodded, taking the hand. “My name is Moon Taeil. I work at the Department of Mysteries,” he said, there was something playful in his eyes. As if he just _knew_. Jongho swallowed.

“It is nice to meet you, Mr Moon.”

Taeil took the seat next to Jongho’s and faced Headmistress Min. She cleared her throat. “There was a break in on Sunday night at the Ministry, Level Nine. You don’t happen to know who was involved in it? A very flustered guard reports having bumped into seven students.” Her gaze was hard and disapproving. Jongho glanced at Taeil, who looked a little less stern.

“No,” he lied, hoping he looked innocent.

“And you don’t happen to know why your uncle, Choi Yeol, was found in the Ministry, a note attached to his shirt, claiming he was a follower of the Order of Lilith,” she continued. Jongho shook his head. “The guard was _extremely_ confused.”

“You see, the Order of Lilith isn’t well known between wizards. Only very few know about it,” Taeil picked up the explanation. “The guard nearly let your uncle go, but thankfully I was there to prevent that.”

“Where is Yeol now?” Jongho asked. He had written to his mother already, but not heard back from her. He couldn’t imagine what she must be feeling.

“In a special room at the Ministry. We were a bit hesitant to send him to Azkaban, considering that he isn’t a wizard, but Muggle prison couldn’t hold the order back from breaking him free,” Taeil answered, his lips a straight line. “We are unsure what to do with him.”

“You don’t seem surprised,” Headmistress Min pointed out.

Jongho sputtered, unable to find an answer.

“Jongho,” Taeil addressed him, his face serious, but not in a scary way. “There is something I would like to ask you. Your uncle told us a great deal about you and your… affliction. Yoonji confirmed that you did bleed black blood. Do you know about the Order of Lilith? About your true nature?”

Jongho hesitated. “Yes,” he finally answered. If he had to he would take the whole blame on himself, keeping his friends safe. “I do know about it.”

Taeil nodded his head. He glanced at Headmistress Min, who let out a sigh and stood up, leaving her office. 

“What I’m about to tell you has to stay in between us, do you understand, Jongho?” Taeil asked of him.

He swallowed. “I-I understand.”

“As I mentioned before, I work in the Department of Mysteries. More specifically, I lead the research on the Order of Lilith. It has been very hard to track them down, but in the past year, a lot of the followers started to emerge. They are far from being stopped, but with your help we could actually put an end to their diabolic—no pun intended—plans. You are who they want, the one piece to fulfill their prophecy. To have you to aid me could make all the difference.” Taeil looked at him expectantly. “I understand that you’re in your fourth year at Hogwarts, and that your studies go first. I won’t ask for an answer right away, but it would make a difference to have you on the team.”

Jongho felt his heart beat fast in his chest, like it wanted to jump out. He hadn’t expected this offer, this turn of events. “If you are aware of what I am, you do know that I will have to choose soon. That this darkness in me only grows…”

Taeil put a warm hand on his shoulder, patting his reassuringly. “We would, of course, help you with this. Prevent you from giving into it. We’ve had someone like you before and we were able to contain the darkness.”

Jongho thought of his friends, the way they were ready to sacrifice their lives for him, that they would walk off the edge of the world to make sure he was okay. It wasn’t even a choice, it was only the right thing to do. This way, he could spare his friends from worrying too much, he could make sure those that believed in the Order of Lilith would be gone for good, and he could stop these Dark Arts once and for all.

“I’ll collaborate,” he said decidedly.

Taeil looked startled. “What? You can think about it, you don’t have to—”

“No, I am sure. I want to help.”

“Good.” Taeil smiled proudly. “Soon, I’ll let you know how we will proceed. For now, you should finish your school year and enjoy your time with your friends.” Taeil stood up, smoothing down his shirt. “And thank you, Jongho. It’ll help us a great deal.”


	25. The Darkest Hour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i recommend listening to _death is only a door_ by tom tykwer

In the calm of the storm, Seonghwa received a note: Hongjoong’s scribbled words sent his heart spinning. He was getting ready to leave the Ravenclaw Tower when the sun was setting, Yeosang was just returning from meeting with Wooyoung and Jongho. 

Yeosang gave him a curious look, his lips curled into a slight smirk. “Sneaking out, are we?” he inquired. “Who are you meeting?”

Seonghwa blushed. “Who said anything about meeting anyone?”

“You are putting on nice clothes and have been styling your hair. You _are_ meeting someone,” Yeosang pointed out, his eyebrows dancing. He looked a lot more cheerful than he had the past months. Seonghwa was glad. “His name starts with an ‘H’ and finishes with ‘ongjoong’.”

“Shut up.”

“It’s the truth though.” He smirked when Seonghwa threw a pillow at his head.

“I’m leaving!” he cried, storming out of the fifth year dorm.

“Have fun!” Yeosang called after him. 

(What Seonghwa didn’t catch was the wistful smile Yeosang wore. Happy and sad on equal amounts.)

He sprinted down the fifth floor corridor towards the staircase. Hongjoong had asked him to meet in the Kitchens. It had become as much of a hangout spot as the classroom up on the fourth floor where they played _Dungeons & Dragons_. The Hufflepuff hadn’t specified the nature of this spontaneous meeting and Seonghwa wondered if there was something they needed to discuss, another dreadful event looming over their heads. He was more than surprised and flustered when he entered the Kitchens and was met with candle light and what seemed to be homemade snacks laid out on a table. 

Hongjoong wore a black shirt and black jeans, his gray hair pushed out of his face. It appeared he had made an effort. Moddey wobbled over to the Hufflepuff, unaware of Seonghwa’s presence.

“Sir, I am sad to inform you that I do not have a spare cravat, but you could wear mine!” Moddey was saying.

Hongjoong blushed, his eyes moving away from Seonghwa to look at Moddey. “Uh, no need, Moddey. Thank you.”

Moddey nodded, his ears flying with the movement. “I better be going then—Oh, Mr Seonghwa!” The Ravenclaw smiled at the house-elf, stepping forward. He was still extremely flustered; had Hongjoong really planned a dinner—of some sorts—for them? “I shall go! I do not want to interrupt you further on your date!”

Hongjoong sputtered, his cheeks turning red as he stared helplessly after Moddey’s retrieving figure. “It’s not… a date,” he clarified, his eyes flitting over to Seonghwa with panic. “I mean unless you want it to be. But I understand if you don’t.” He laughed awkwardly then, rubbing his elbows.

Seonghwa stared at him, bedazzled. He tried to calm his heart and nerves and mind. He walked closer to the Hufflepuff, eyeing the table with the snacks and candles. He looked back at Hongjoong once they were only a few centimeters apart. 

“It can be one,” he said softly. The silence was loud for a moment and Seonghwa could hear his wild heartbeat as if there was someone playing the drums in the Kitchens. _Please say something_ , he thought desperately.

“Okay. Yes. T-Then this is a date,” Hongjoong stuttered out. Seonghwa didn’t further hesitate, seizing up the moment. He surged forward, clasping Hongjoong’s face in his hands. He kissed him softly.

“What was your intention for this if not a date?” he asked once he pulled away.

Hongjoong blushed. “I don’t know. I just wanted you here.”

He smiled. “Well, I am here.”

Hongjoong was probably just as flustered as Seonghwa was. He fiddled with his fingers, then cleared his throat and gestured at the table. “I, uh, made some snacks with the help of the house-elves. I hope they’re tasty.”

Seonghwa smiled, approaching the table to take a seat. He wouldn’t really care if they were tasty or not, all that mattered to him was that Hongjoong had prepared this for them; for _him_. He was so caught up with the fact that this was their first date, that any minor details seemed meaningless. 

He grabbed one of the cookies laid out. “It’s good,” he said with a mouthful. Hongjoong let out a sigh of relief, smiling broadly as he joined Seonghwa by the table.

**~*~**

Against all odds, it was San that seeked out Jongho mid March, the moon on its steady way to become full, the stars were pale dots as a thin layer of clouds was growing from the Great Lake’s surface. It was a beautiful night, especially as Spring was breaking in early that year. The Forbidden Forest was a dark shadow in contrast with the midnight blue sky. Jongho was just walking back from Quidditch practice, his body heavy with exhaustion. It was the first time in a long time that he had gotten the chance to actually focus on practice, his mind free from most of his worries.

After the conversation with Taeil, he had received a letter explaining in detail what role Jongho would contribute to the research of the Order of Lilith: he would have to go over in April for an official statement and have them do a couple of tests, get samples of his blood, hair, and such for research. It reminded him mildly of a science-fiction movie or book. The need to share this information with his friends had been strong, but as he had promised Taeil, he kept quiet about it, just reassuring them that he was fine and they needed not to worry anymore.

On his way to the Dungeons, San intercepted him. “Jongho. Could I talk to you?” Jongho nodded his head, waving his goodbyes to Felix and Eunbin before he followed the ghost to a more secluded area of the Dungeons.

“What is it?” he asked, leaning against the wall. San looked a bit better ever since they had retrieved his heirloom from the Ministry. But it was clear he was just as sad about leaving as they were. They hadn’t really spoken about it, the emotional hurt that would follow the acknowledgement of this was far too painful.

San hesitated, biting his upper lip. “I know I have said that I do not want to risk it, especially now that I know it would put you in danger, but I—” he broke off, passing a hand through his hair. “I feel awful even bringing this up.” His voice was shaking.

Jongho sighed. “You want to know whether I would still risk my life to bring you back?” San nodded his head, a distraught expression on his face, full of guilt and shame. “San, it was _never_ out of question. I still want to do this, but only if you allow me to.”

“I know I shouldn’t. I have been more than annoying telling you not to, telling you all that I wouldn’t—It’s so selfish. _I’m_ selfish.” His eyes flickered with anger and disappointment. Jongho wished he could reach out a hand to comfort him, but that was the whole problem: he couldn’t. San had been something like a bigger brother to him, giving him advice and helping him adapt to Hogwarts before he had met Seonghwa and the rest of the boys. “But your words—that I’ve been robbed of my life—I cannot get them out of my head.”

There were a million words Jongho wanted to say, but he didn’t want to persuade San into agreeing because he felt obligated. It was dangerous and Jongho knew he could lose everything he had, the darkness robbing him of his humanity. He knew Taeil would disapprove, so he wouldn’t even bring it up to him. If they were to do this, it would be done in secrecy.

“This is for you to decide. We will all back you up, you know that. You just have to tell us.”

“Maybe I do want to give it a try, even if admitting this makes me want to disappear more than ever. It’s so awful that I would risk your—”

“San, you are not forcing me. You are not risking my well-being. It is also my choice—it is _mostly_ my choice,” he interrupted his friend. “If we do this, you should tell us everything you know, so we can perform it correctly, so that I—So that all of us will be as unharmed as possible once it’s over. I am convinced I can do it. As you said, I am connected to ancient and powerful magic—dark magic, sure, but I just know that there’s a way around it. I know this darkness is strong, but I believe you and everyone else is stronger.”

San sniffled, rubbing at his eyes. “Are you certain?”

“I am,” he said decidedly. “I am certain that if the darkness surrounds me you will pull me out of it.” He paused. “Are _you_ certain?”

San started crying, his shoulders shaking. “I am now. I think I was terrified of living again. I was afraid of so many things, walking alone all these years, but… If you are okay with this I would like to give it a try.”

Jongho wondered what San was feeling: to know he could possibly become human again, to have a chance at living a normal life like he was destined to, except that it was probably going to be very different from what he had imagined. As San had said previously, he wouldn’t be able to finalize his studies at Hogwarts and he would have to live as a Muggle, prohibited from using magic. If the word got out of what they had done, it would have consequences for all of them. 

But it was worth it, Jongho believed. He was certain they were all ready to take this secret to their graves.

“Would you tell your cousin? You’ll need a place to stay,” he spoke up.

“I haven’t thought about that. I never… thought this would actually become a possibility,” San answered, his voice trembling. “We will have to think this through. Since she lives a Muggle life, I could be safe with her.”

“Once you’re sure, let me know. I’ll help you tell the others.”

**~*~**

It was the Sunday after their adventure to the Ministry and March was slowly coming to an end, the weather was so much brighter, but over the eight boys a dark mist still lingered. Hopefully, it would lift soon. San and Jongho had brought the other six boys to confess they were going to give the spell a try. It was just two hours after breakfast and as always they were in the room on the fourth floor.

Wooyoung nearly had started crying on the spot, but held his tears at the last moment, saving them for a later moment—once San was back for sure—besides he had cried so much these past weeks he was _drained_.

“I believe to cast this spell correctly, you first need to understand where I came from when I performed it,” San said thoughtfully. “I knew they would kill me weeks before they did. I had time to prepare… Since the beginning of the Second Wizarding War I had tried to find a way to escape the unavoidable. Death was everywhere and it isn’t certain to come back as a ghost. But I-I was greedy. I couldn’t imagine suddenly dying and be gone forever, so I did research. I searched the darkest corners and I didn’t really find anything—except for the Horcruxes.”

“But you said it isn’t a Horcrux,” Wooyoung pointed out.

“It isn’t, but it did inspire me. The Dark Lord never believed in love. I _do_ ,” San continued. “What does keep us immortal, even after we die?” he asked into the room. Seven pairs of eyes blinked at him in confusion. “ _Memories_. Even if you die, there will be someone who remembers you and you live on through their memories—maybe forever, maybe for a couple of decades or centuries only. Point is, you stay alive even if you’re already dead. That is where the idea for my spell came from. I held onto all the good memories I had—which weren’t many to be honest—and pictured them as fragments of my soul… What makes this vessel cry in pain, laugh from happiness— _feel_? My soul. My memories. They’re connected. When I ripped out pieces of my soul, they were my dearest memories of what made me whole.” He was getting choked up, tears welling up in his eyes.

Wooyoung had lost count of how many times he had seen San like that these past weeks. It was painful and soul crushing to witness, but perhaps they were about to put an end to it.

“I see,” said Yunho quietly. “Whereas the Dark Lord committed murder to remain immortal, you sacrificed yourself. But what does that make you right now? Because your body is buried—Merlin knows where…”

“I was cremated,” San stated. “But my vessel isn’t needed, all we need is right here,” he said, holding up the ring, “and here,” he added, pointing at himself. “This ring possesses the last piece of my soul, of what prevents me from crossing the veil completely. And me, well, I am _me_ —the key to open the door, to put it in a way. I have to pull my soul with me and cross this door, veil—whatever you want to call it.”

“What exactly is our role here?” Hongjoong asked, eyebrows pulled together into a frown.

“As I said before, my memories are my soul. When we perform this spell, your memories to one another, to me, are the source of power for Jongho to perform this,” San explained, moving his hands in wide gestures as he tried to explain life and death, souls and memories—the eternal mystery that plagued humanity.

“I’m still very lost,” Mingi said.

“That’s okay, me too,” Yeosang reassured him with a meek smile. “Is there any way for you to explain this in an easier way.”

San sighed. “I don’t know. I barely understand it myself, I just _know_. Like when you—when you fall in love.” He shot a quick glance at Wooyoung. “It happens and you cannot explain why or how, you just _feel_ it. You just know.” Wooyoung could feel his heart race and his fingers shaking, he didn’t look away from San, holding his gaze. He slowly realized that if this worked, if they brought San back to the realm of the living, that those feelings he had for him—that he had always believed to be unrequited and doomed—could actually become something more. 

He would have the chance to share a lifetime with San.

“To recap,” Hongjoong started, worrying his bottom lip. “You died, but before that you made a two piece recollection of your soul so that you would stay connected to the living, preserve some humanity—”

San shook his head. “It’s not exactly humanity. All ghosts possess humanity. They remember who they were, who they loved and hated, but they cannot grow above that. When I pulled two pieces out, my ghost nature goes beyond that. Why do you think I can cry? Why do you think I was able to fall in love with Wooyoung? Or the way I was never quite as transparent as the rest of the ghosts? Because my soul hasn’t died.”

Yeosang let out a frustrated sigh. “I can’t wrap my head around this. How is any of this possible?”

“I guess if you allow yourself to believe there is an inexplicable and invisible part to ourselves—to this world—I might start to understand,” Seonghwa said slowly, his eyebrows pulled into a slight frown.

Wooyoung was _trying_ to understand. “You said our memories were a source of power; what exactly did you mean?”

“If we perform this spell all of us will stand right in front of this door that separates me from you, since the source for me—when I tore my soul to pieces—were memories, they are what we must use,” he explained. “And another reason is that we need to keep Jongho with us. He can’t be alone when facing the darkness, we must be there for him.” The younger Slytherin swallowed thickly, but he nodded his head in understanding.

Seonghwa tapped his chin thoughtfully. “All that is left now is to decide _when exactly_ will we perform this spell.”

“The sooner the better,” Wooyoung said. “How about tonight?” The other boys held contemplative looks on their faces, but none refused. The Gryffindor nodded his head once, taking the silence as a ‘yes’. “Okay. Where do we do this?”

“I think we could use the _Shrieking Shack_. No one dares to go there,” Hongjoong offered.

“Right. It is sheltered from pretty much any spying eyes. We would be unbothered there,” San agreed. 

“Then we go there tonight—at dusk,” Seonghwa decided.

**~*~**

The moon was growing, nearly a full moon, but what filled the falling darkness that particular March night were the wands of eight boys sneaking out of Hogwarts towards the Whomping Willow. They were quietly moving, too nervous and jittery to talk, but there was a silent agreement too. Now that they had all become friends they were beginning to understand each other without any words needed.

The tunnel towards the _Shrieking Shack_ felt even narrower with the eight of them passing through it. Wooyoung hadn’t been in the abandoned building too many times, but somehow it looked different from the last two times he had found himself in it. Even if it was nighttime, it wasn’t as terrifying, it just looked abandoned and lonely. The dust flying around gave it an impression of timelessness. 

Mingi and Yeosang were putting candles all around to make light appear and dissipate some of that darkness—there would be enough of that once they began performing the spell—while Hongjoong, Seonghwa, and Yunho were preparing the bedroom, moving all furniture out of the way. Wooyoung was helping Jongho with the pronunciation of the latin words so that the spell would be successful. San stood amidst them all, an overwhelmed look on his sharp features. 

Despite trying to prevent them from doing this, Wooyoung knew that he was glad they were so determined to help him. He knew that San wanted to become human again, that he wanted to grow old together with them all. But he was terrified of it going wrong—they all were—but they held the strong belief and hope that their bond was strong enough to pull Jongho back out of the darkness.

Once all preparations were ready, San moved to the middle of the room, pulling at his sleeves anxiously. He didn’t utter out any words, just stared at Jongho, waiting for him to start. Jongho let his hands hover over San’s shoulders, facing him, and Wooyoung moved to stand behind San, his hands hovering over his shoulders as well. The other five boys mimicked their positions until they were all connected, like a chain, something inseparable. 

Even if nothing had happened yet, Wooyoung could feel something in him awake. It had always been there, but he felt it so strongly now, as if he had wandered in an open field with mist all around and suddenly, in the distance, he could see a light. It guided him forward. He realized it wasn’t just one light, they were seven. 

Eight lights that guided one another out of eternal darkness.

Wooyoung had never believed completion was a real thing, but as he stood in the _Shrieking Shack_ , dusk falling over them, surrounded by his friends as they got ready to perform this spell, he knew he was complete.

“I will start now,” said Jongho, his voice quiet and trembling slightly. He cleared his throat and began reciting the lating words as they had practiced. “ _Ego sum, ubi est anima mea…_ ” His face was completely serene and he didn’t break eye contact with San.

Wooyoung could feel the warmth of Yeosang’s hands on his shoulders, he could see Seonghwa’s familiar and comforting eyes across him. He could sense his friends all around him, even if he did not necessarily see them with his eyes, there was a different dimension in which he _saw_ all even of them.

At first nothing happened and Wooyoung felt a moment of doubt; what if it wouldn’t work? What if they were only risking Jongho’s life? But then the candles flickered and faded, and darkness surrounded them. Wooyoung closed his eyes and tried to reach out to Jongho through that invisible chain that connected them. He imagined himself taking his friend’s hand.

“Stay,” he begged. “Stay with us, Jongho.”

Bright light flashed in the room, someone gasped, and Wooyoung opened his eyes. San stood still, his flickering ghost form was bathed in a white light, it was as though it came from nowhere and everywhere. Wooyoung’s hands trembled from the effort of having them suspended in the air but he kept them there, knowing well that if he lowered them it would break the connection.

“Are you certain you want to do this?” San asked then, his voice trembling. Wooyoung couldn’t see his face but he imagined his eyes were full of worry.

“I think it’s a little late for that,” Seonghwa said, his voice tight, but he did smile. He glanced over at Wooyoung for a moment before he looked back at San.

More light poured from all around them into San as Jongho kept reciting the latin words over and over again, a look of utmost concentration on his face.

“I’m just saying—if you feel the slightest pull towards the darkness, you _have_ to stop, Jongho,” San said. He was breathing now, in short and heavy intervals. He was scared and unsure, his hands shaking as the light got brighter, surrounding him like a warm blanket.

Wooyoung was starting to feel the light on his skin too, something like a summer breeze’s caress. It was comforting and sent him back to a time in their second year of Hogwarts. 

It was June and they were sitting by the shores of the Black Lake, they were laughing freely. Jongho was telling some hilarious story and Yeosang was laughing so hard he was slapping Seonghwa’s shoulder—a rare sight to see him so utterly undone, but a delightful one. San was watching them with adoration in his eyes, the knowledge that he wouldn’t be able to let these boys go settled deep in his mind, and it was terrifying. 

The scene transformed into something harrowing and soul crushing. Jongho was alone, surrounded by darkness, calling out for help. Wooyoung wanted to reach him but no matter how much he ran, he could not reach him. He tried to call out for Jongho but his words couldn’t travel that far, couldn’t cross the darkness. It scared him. 

From somewhere, another memory broke through the darkness like lightning. It was the Christmas party at Jongho’s place two years ago. They were sitting, pressed against each other and sharing a blanket, on a couch in front of the fireplace. They didn’t talk, but they didn’t need to. Wooyoung remembered that day vividly, he had just taken a step back and observed his friends: what intertwined them, what had made them all stay together to be right there… 

“Jongho, don’t go,” he heard Yunho’s voice, it was faint and barely audible, but the plead in those words resonated loudly, shattering the memory and the darkness, and when Wooyoung blinked he was back in the _Shrieking Shack_. The light was now not just pouring down on San but all of them.

Memories upon memories filtered in and out of Wooyoung’s mind, some were his own, some were foreign, they weren’t all fond or heartwarming. Some of them were sad and crushed his heart, but he understood that pain, he could relate to it. There was Mingi, as a child, terrified of his lycanthropy, much like Wooyoung had once felt regarding his parents’s crimes and his destiny as the child of Death Eaters. Rejected by so many and hurt, but then they had found friends. Seonghwa and Hongjoong who had pushed through that loneliness and darkness and offered them a warm hand. 

Just like Wooyoung hadn’t been lonely anymore after meeting San, and then Seonghwa, and then reuniting with Yeosang in his first year; the same went for Mingi when Hongjoong had walked into that basement, promising him he wouldn’t run even if Mingi was a werewolf. 

All their happy memories tied them together, but so did their sad and lonely moments. Those dark hours they had spent and would still face in the future, but they weren’t alone anymore.

Wooyoung choked out a gasp when suddenly his hands weren’t floating over San’s shoulders anymore, but instead were touching something solid and _warm_. He was gazing at San’s black hair, his robes slowly materializing, losing their ghostly shimmer. He was becoming a human. Wooyoung tightened his grip on San’s shoulders.

The light was so bright now it nearly blinded Wooyoung, but he kept staring at the back of San’s head, watching how any trace of his ghost-ness was vanishing.

“Jongho, stay,” someone whispered, but Wooyoung couldn’t tell who it was, maybe it was all of them calling out for the Slytherin boy. “Jongho, remember that you are loved.”

The memories were now too quick to follow and untangle, they flashed rapidly in Wooyoung’s mind—well that wasn’t quite it. It was as though he was living them, all the emotions of them running through him.

All eight flames in the mist covered field were inching closer, drawn to each other, becoming one, as if they were always meant to become one. Wooyoung realized that they could have never done this without Hongjoong, Mingi, and Yunho. Without them they would have been incomplete. The three boys were tangled to one another, an invisible chain connecting them just like Wooyoung was intertwined with his friends. And now Hongjoong and Seonghwa were bonded, like Mingi and Yeosang were, and Wooyoung knew that Yunho had become somewhat of an older brother role for Jongho. They were all connected in one way or another.

The _Shrieking Shack_ was shaking as if an earthquake was rattling up the earth beneath them and the light was turning brighter and brighter, wholly enveloping them. Its warmth filled Wooyoung’s being until he was only made out of light. It was burning his soul.

He stood alone then, in the darkness again. Images were flashing in front of him of himself. They weren’t memories, but something else: emotions he had lived with San. He was seeing the visual representation of what he had meant to San all these past years. Wooyoung slowly realized this blinding light was just San’s soul tearing the veil that separated life and death, returning back to their dimension, returning to San’s body. 

Death was just a door. And they were all crossing it. With a startle, Wooyoung realized they had died and then had come back with San in tow.

With a forceful pull, Wooyoung was back in his body and he collapsed onto the floor as the other boys did. The _Shrieking Shack_ was now submerged into darkness. The light was gone. Wooyoung was breathing loudly. He took a moment before he rolled over and sat up, glancing around himself. He retrieved his wand.

“ _Lumos_ ,” he muttered. He saw Seonghwa and Yunho sitting up as well, looking around themselves in confusion and awe. Jongho was still on the ground, unconscious as it seemed. San was right next to him, his chest moving as he breathed in and out evenly.

“Is he…?” Yunho started, hesitantly reaching out a hand to shake Jongho’s body softly.

“I don’t know,” Seonghwa said. He too used his wand to cast some light around them.

Hongjoong and Mingi were now awake as well, the latter checking up on Yeosang, who was a bit disoriented but fine otherwise.

“Jongho?” Wooyoung called out hesitantly. He was too shocked to cry just yet.

The Slytherin boy coughed, his eyelashes fluttering. When he finally opened his eyes they were a familiar, deep brown—both of them—and although his skin looked ashy pale, he smiled. 

“It worked,” Jongho muttered, moving a hand towards San, clasping it around the older boy’s shoulder. “He’s—alive.”

“Oh, Jongho,” Seonghwa mumbled and threw himself at him, hugging him tightly.

“Is everyone alright?” Yunho asked into the round.

“I think so,” Hongjoong said. “What about San?”

Wooyoung leaned over San, brushing his black hair away from his face, some of the strands were still in that ghostly, silver color, but his skin was tan—maybe a bit pale—and his cheeks a feverish red. Wooyoung could feel the heat radiating off of his body. He still couldn’t believe he was actually touching him. It had been quite frightening the first time it had happened, about two weeks ago, but it was different now. The last time he had been cold as ice, not really alive, just a phantom. Now he was _alive_. His chest was raising and falling, and when Wooyoung moved his hand towards San’s chest, he could feel the beat of his heart—strong and steady.

The seven boys circled San’s body, eyeing him curiously and with apprehension. When San finally fluttered his eyes open, Wooyoung’s tears started to fall.

“ _Wooyoung_ ,” San muttered—his first words as human—and he reached up a tired hand, caressing Wooyoung’s cheek gently.

“ _San_ ,” he said, his voice faint and broken, but so incredibly relieved. “You’re alive.”

San chuckled, his brown eyes turning into crescents. He was beautiful. “I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooooo san. san is a human now.
> 
> "Ego sum, ubi est anima mea" -> i am where my soul is (at least according to google translate :|)


	26. Lay Your Ghosts To Rest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> getting yunho's pov,, finally
> 
> also, sorry for the longer wait, i don't have the last couple of chapters written (only the outlines) so it's taking some time to write them, plus i am writing some other things, as well as depression and work.. hhhhhh life's just crazy right now :/ i will finish it tho so don't worry!!

San propped himself up on his elbows, glancing around the _Shrieking Shack_. It was bathed in the light of the _Lumos_ spell. He felt strange, his chest heavy, and it was odd to breathe. To inhale the damp and candle scented air of the abandoned house. He felt the wooden floor beneath his fingertips, the hard and cold material digging into his skin.

The next thing he felt were Wooyoung’s hands on his face, warm and soft and gentle. It felt incredible and comforting, like coming home after a long journey. 

He swallowed, glancing at the other boys surrounding him. His eyes fell on Jongho, who seemed to be fine, his brown eyes were wide.

“Jongho,” San muttered. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good. How are _you_ feeling? It worked, didn’t it?” Jongho asked excitedly. He was leaning against Yeosang, but he sneaked his right hand out to pat San’s knee. “Holy shit, you’re actually like— _here_.”

San smiled. “I am, yes.”

Wooyoung reached out a hand, running it through San’s hair, softly moving it away from his forehead. “Your hair it’s—There are some strands that are white,” he said. “Did something go wrong?”

San tilted his head. He reached up one of his hands to touch his hair, it brushed delicately against Wooyoung’s and, although it was just a very small action, it sent shivers down his spine. San swallowed. He removed his hand again.

“I feel fine though,” he told Wooyoung. “I really do.”

“We should observe how you feel the following days. See if anything changes,” Seonghwa said. “You too, Jongho,” he added, glancing at the younger Slytherin.

“What happens next?” Hongjoong asked after a short silence.

“I spoke with my cousin. I’ll be living with her for now,” San answered. He looked at Wooyoung. “We can try to talk everyday. I’ll try to acquire one of those phones you carry around.”

Wooyoung let out a watery laugh. “Yes. Yes we can.” And without any warning he surged forward, pressing himself close to San and clinging onto his Slytherin robes tightly. His lips pressed against San’s in a clumsy and hard way, it wasn’t at all what Wooyoung had ever imagined their first kiss to be like—he hadn’t even imagined there to be one, only in his dreams—but by Merlin it was heavenly.

“Uh, we should probably leave,” muttered Seonghwa as he stood up from the floor. “Come on.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Yunho added, chuckling.

Faintly, San was aware of his friends leaving the _Shrieking Shack_ ’s bedroom, their footsteps vanishing, but he was overly focused on the Gryffindor. Wooyoung’s warm body pressed against his, one of his hands clutching his sweatshirt while the other was sneaking towards the back of San’s head, running through his hair.

After the initial shock of Wooyoung kissing him was over, San angled his head so that he could actually _kiss_ Wooyoung. His eyelashes fluttered close and then it was just the sensation of their lips together, and the bodily presence of Wooyoung _right there_. It was overwhelming and so loud in his mind. He had grown so used to being a ghost and not feeling anything, but now every inch of his body was burning and yearning. He had been touch starved for so long and now it was almost too much, especially because it was _Wooyoung_.

Wooyoung who had kept him company in the loneliness of the castle all these years, different from all the other acquaintances he had made. Wooyoung whom he had started to fall in love with the previous year when he had come back to Hogwarts to start his fifth year. Wooyoung who had never stopped believing in them, even if San had tried so hard to push him away to prevent him from heartbreak.

San put a hand on Wooyoung’s chest softly to put a little distance between them.

“What?” asked the Gryffindor, his eyelids half closed, a dazed look on his face.

“You have to know that I really do want this, but I just became—”

“I know,” Wooyoung cut him off. “You don’t have to explain to me, I know.” He smiled radiantly. “But I had to at least steal one kiss. I have waited for a long time, I can wait a little more.”

San pulled him back in for a hug, tightly holding the Gryffindor as he inhaled Wooyoung’s scent. It was new to him, but it already felt like home.

“Thank you,” he muttered. “Thank you for not giving up.”

Wooyoung sniffled quietly. “I would never. I admit it was… hard, but I couldn’t imagine not having you in my future, San. I don’t think you are aware of how important you are to me.”

San smiled. “I think I do know. The memories—during the spell—I understand now.” He moved into a sitting position. “You mean the same to me, Wooyoung. I want you to know that. I need time now though.”

“I know.” Wooyoung nodded his head, sitting next to San and crossing his legs. “Now that we aren’t running out of time—and I know you won’t be leaving—we can have as much time as we need for this. I don’t want to rush into this either.”

“Then it’s settled,” San said with a smile. It was easy, his brown eyes radiated warmth, and Wooyoung didn’t think he’d ever get used to it. He had seen San’s smile many times in the past years, but there was something distinctively different about this one. Most likely because he was human now and that changed their relationship entirely—it changed everything about San. He wasn’t just a ghost anymore, chained to Hogwarts, trapped in a dead life, to be forever, almost sixteen. He had a future now.

“Should we head out to join the others?” Wooyoung questioned.

“Yeah.” He nodded his head. “I should say goodbye properly before I leave for my cousin’s.” 

Wooyoung nodded, trying not to feel too sad. This was for the best; of course San wouldn’t be able stay at Hogwarts as if nothing. Wooyoung would have to deal with his absence now, but they could remain in touch, and once summer came Wooyoung could go visit him or San could come over to visit; he was sure Eunmi wouldn’t mind. The eight of them could hang out together during summer, he realized. He smiled, dusting off his pants. 

“Come on, let’s go.” He offered San his hand and the Slytherin took it.

**~*~**

Hogwarts’s grounds looked beautiful that night. Yunho always found the castle to be the prettiest when the moon and stars hung over it, everything quiet, and the Prohibited Forest stretching out around it like a sea of darkness. He never had been scared of the darkness, even less when Hongjoong and him had joined Mingi on the night trips during the full moons. There was something freeing and exhilarating about sneaking off, about being a dog and running around with his friends without a care in the world. 

Yunho looked around with a thoughtful look on his face. Hongjoong and Seonghwa were a bit separated from them, on a higher ground, speaking quietly to one another. They stood close, that invisible thread that connected them—that Yunho had seen from the first days those two had met—was almost visible. He had always thought that they were both strong willed individuals that could achieve so much together rather than against each other; he was glad they were now working as one.

Yunho was a romantic, he loved love, and to see his best friend—well, both of them, he thought, glancing at Mingi and Yeosang—to have found the love that made them stronger, more themselves, and beautiful, he was immensely glad about it. It was all he could have ever asked for and more.

With a smile, he threw an arm around Jongho’s shoulder, drawing the youngest of their group closer. He squeezed the Slytherin’s arm comfortingly.

“What a night, huh?” he said, looking up at the sky. Jongho nodded. He wasn’t as pale as before, but he still seemed worn out. “Do you think you’ll be okay?”

“I think so.”

“That’s good to hear.” Yunho looked down at him. For a fourteen year old, Jongho tried his best to appear strong and responsible, failing to see that he was just a kid and couldn’t wear all the burdens in his world alone; that the weight on his shoulders could be shared. Yunho had spent a long time convincing Hongjoong and Mingi that they could ask for help if they needed, and that there was no shame in doing so. He hoped Jongho would soon understand that as well.

“Do you think they’ll be fine—Wooyoung and San?” Jongho asked quietly.

“I believe they will,” he answered without hesitation. “They have a lot of talking to do, and for San—It won’t be easy, but he knew that. I think in the long run this was the best possible outcome.” 

“Yeah.” Jongho looked thoughtful.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Yunho started; “why are you suddenly so relaxed regarding the Order of Lilith? I mean, I _am glad_ you are not overly worried and anxious, but I don’t think it’s healthy to pretend everything is fine.”

Jongho turned his head upwards. “I know it is not fine, but… Let’s just say I am getting help from someone. I can’t really talk about it—I vowed not to—just know that it’s being dealt with and for once it isn’t our place to meddle. Well, not yours at least.” He gestured at the bunch of them.

“You saying that makes me more curious, but I won’t pry, don’t worry,” Yunho added quickly when Jongho was already opening his mouth to protest. “I’m glad this is all over.” He removed his arm and stretched both of them over his head, rolling his shoulders. The exhaustion of the spell and staying up late was catching up on him. “I can’t wait for things to return back to normal.”

“I doubt things will be normal again—or at least the normal we had before we all became friends,” Jongho said. “But I wouldn’t change this for anything. Even if it was painful and complicated.”

Yunho saw Hongjoong and Seonghwa sneaking off, and he couldn’t help the grin spreading over his face. He glanced at Mingi and Yeosang, still standing near the Whomping Willow, silently star gazing, their arms dangling by their sides, unusually close. If a strong gust of wind were to come, their hands would end up—tragically—touching. Mingi hadn’t told them anything, but it didn’t take much to see that something was _definitely_ going on there. Yeosang wasn’t that subtle either, with his hot and cold take, the soft and confused stares, and now this almost touching but not quite.

It put his mind at ease to know his friends were growing up and maturing, and finding someone to love. It wasn’t a granted blessing, and Yunho was aware they were still young, their destinies could change, but this experience they had shared had bonded them rather strongly. 

It felt like no time had passed when San and Wooyoung emerged from the tunnel’s mouth, the usual color in Wooyoung’s cheeks was back and he looked fine—San did too. With all of the roughness out of the way, Yunho breathed in the clear night’s air, his lungs expanding and for a moment everything felt right in the world.

“What’s the plan?” Jongho asked, turning his gaze towards San.

The ex-ghost bit his upper lip as he stared at them all, his eyes misty. “It’s time for me to say goodbye,” he declared. “I will head back to the _Shrieking Shack_ and from there to Hogsmeade Station. My cousin will pick me up there.”

“How will she do that?” Mingi inquired. Yeosang and him had joined them. Hongjoong and Seonghwa were still further away, but they had noticed that Wooyoung and San had come so they were on their way back towards them.

“She is a half-blood and does lead a Muggle life, but she was once a student at Hogwarts. She knows _Apparition_ ,” San explained.

“How did she take it?” Yunho asked curiously.

San scratched his neck. “Well, it was a very emotional conversation, but she’ll take me in… She’s arranging some minor details so it isn’t suspicious that she suddenly has another kid living there. Her son is about our age, he’ll show me the ropes of Muggle life.” He shrugged, uncertain. Yunho supposed it was all very bizarre; he was merely a bystander on the sidelines. 

“Sounds like a plan.” Although he never really had been close to San, he was glad it had worked out. He knew how much the Slytherin meant to his new friends, so by association he was meaningful to Yunho too. “If there is ever anything you need, don’t hesitate to give me a call.”

San blinked, the unshed tears in his eyes stuck to his eyelashes. He smiled, grateful. “Thank you.” He turned to look at all of them, now that Hongjoong and Seonghwa had joined them. “I honestly don’t know how I will ever repay you for what you did tonight. I really can’t—” He broke off, choking up. “I just—I never thought I’d have friends who would go this far for me.” Wooyoung and Jongho were already there to hug him and pat his shoulder in reassurance. Yeosang and Seonghwa were quick to follow.

“We’ve only known each other for a short time, but I think this is what we do now,” Hongjoong started hesitantly. “We help one another out. We’re friends.”

Yunho tilted his head to the side, watching the little group around San. He put a hand on each of the Hufflepuffs’s shoulders and drew them aside a little.

“We should give them some privacy—so they can say goodbye.” They started walking towards the castle, just enough so that the hushed whispers and words exchanged weren’t audible anymore. Yunho looked at his friends with an inquisitorial gaze. “So,” he began, putting his hands behind his back, “you two have both something to tell me, huh?”

Hongjoong’s eyes widened. He sputtered. “I-I was going to tell you eventually.”

“Eventually,” Yunho echoed. He glanced at Mingi, who didn’t seem all that surprised about what Yunho was implying. His cheeks were pink though. “Something tells me Mingi already knows. I am hurt, Hongjoong, deeply hurt that you would tell _him_ before you’d tell _me_. I mean, I have been rooting for this since the dawn of time!”

“That’s precisely why!” Hongjoong said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I knew you’d get all smug and weird.”

Yunho scoffed, but he wasn’t really offended, he was just playing around. “I am _not_ being weird!” he protested.

Hongjoong glared at him, but he wasn’t truly angry. “What about Mingi, then?”

Yunho turned to face his other Hufflepuff friend, who seemed to shrink. He fumbled with his wand. “Uh, well…” Mingi started. “Yeosang and I might have kissed and then talked some.”

“Ugh, you boys never get it right. You’re supposed to talk first and kiss afterwards!” Yunho complained. “That’s the healthy way to do it.”

“You and Hongjoong kissed first and talked afterwards too,” Mingi pointed out. “And then broke up.”

“I’ll admit I made some mistakes.” Yunho shrugged. “But we were young.”

“We’re still young now,” Hongjoong said. “But I guess you are right, Seonghwa and I might have done this very messily. We’re good now, though, and I took him on a date.”

Yunho stared at him in surprise. “You did?”

Hongjoong coughed awkwardly. “Well, I didn’t exactly say it was a date, we sort of decided that on the spot.” Yunho was already opening his mouth to complain, but Hongjoong held up his hand. “I _will_ ask him out on a proper date soon. To _Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop_ , like you do as a Hogwarts student.”

“Good.” Yunho patted his friend’s shoulder as if he was a proud father. He turned to look at Mingi. “What about you?”

The taller Hufflepuff hesitated. “I don’t think we’re quite there yet, but soon—hopefully. He’s… Yeosang is going through heartbreak so…” He shrugged, uncomfortable.

“Oh.” Yunho pressed his lips together, looking at Hongjoong and then back to the Whomping Willow. “ _Oh_ ,” he repeated, realizing what that meant. “Well, that sucks.”

“What is it?” Hongjoong asked, frowning. 

“Doesn’t matter,” Mingi said. “And it isn’t my story to tell.”

They waited, filling the air with easy chatter, for the rest of the group to join them out on the open fields of Hogwarts’s grounds. It felt like a long time when Seonghwa followed by Yeosang and Wooyoung finally walked toward them. Jongho had stayed behind to discuss an important matter with San regarding what they had gone through, their linked stories, and whatever information they might require that they had forgotten to mention beforehand.

“Tomorrow is going to be strange,” said Wooyoung suddenly. “Like a tower that built up over the past months—years—and now it’s just… gone.”

Yunho hummed. It certainly was going to be strange to return to their lives as they had known them, normalcy just waiting for them.

“I, for one, am glad this is over,” Mingi said, stretching out his arms far above his head. “No matter how strange it’ll be.”

When Jongho finally wandered over the grounds toward them, Yunho slung an arm around the youngest’s shoulder, squeezing him playfully, and they began walking to the castle, leaving nighttime and its horrors behind them.

“I hope San will have a first good night,” Wooyoung mumbled much later, when he and Yunho were in the Gryffindor Tower already, snuggled into their four post beds up in the boys’s dormitory.

“I believe he will,” Yunho muttered back, sleep pulling at him.

**~*~**

The week after helping San walk through the door that had separated them from him went by slowly but smoothly. Their group settled back into their regular lives, at first struggling a bit, but soon they could relax as Hogwarts students and focus primarily on their studies as they should. 

Wooyoung spent a lot of time using his phone to text San. Yunho learned that San’s integration into Muggle life had gone by easily, his cousin had taken care of all the paper related details, and San was starting Muggle school soon which he looked forward to as much as he didn’t. After being dead for a decade, he had forgotten a lot about what it meant to be a student and be actually sixteen years old. They all were still unsure how aging was going to work for San, but only time would tell.

For now, they tried to enjoy the fact that he was human and that the spell had worked with as little damage as possible.

Yunho had observed that Jongho was doing fine as well, there had been no after effects of the spell, the darkness seemed to have lost this battle. Jongho’s eyes remained their usual dark brown color and he couldn’t hear the whispers that tried to drag him towards the darkness anymore. Jongho had told them that he was getting help, but hadn’t revealed much more than that—they all had learned to just roll with it. They were grateful and, although they tried to be there for one another—being each other’s first source of help—it was good that they didn’t need to worry.

That for once, it was truly in someone else’s hands, someone much more experienced and practiced in the matter of handling Dark Magic and the Order of Lilith.

Since all their friends were in relationships—or about to be in relationships—Yunho and Jongho had started to hang out quite a lot, becoming a unique kind of duo. Yunho never had liked the pranks between Hongjoong and Seonghwa, but he had started to help out Jongho—and in extension Jungkook—to play harmless pranks, much to Hongjoong’s surprise.

“I can’t believe you’re going to sneak out in the middle of the night to replace all the knights’s heads with pumpkins. It’s not even Halloween,” Hongjoong was complaining as they were walking down Hogwarts’s grounds to their _Herbology_ class. “I tried for _years_ to get you to help us—which we could have very much needed—and here Jongho just pouts a little and you’re suddenly game.” He sniffed, pretending to be offended.

Yunho grinned. “Well, Jongho can be very convincing. Plus, I’m not harming any students.”

“Do you miss playing pranks on Seonghwa?” Mingi suddenly asked, glancing at Hongjoong curiously.

The Hufflepuff Prefect shrugged. “Not really. It was fun at first, you know, like a competition, and then it was just trying to get his attention… Which I have plenty of now, so there’s no need anymore for silly pranks.”

“Do you regret the pranks?” Mingi further questioned him.

Hongjoong shrugged again as they walked into the greenhouse, Professor Son was arranging pots all around.

“I can’t really answer that. Some pranks I do regret, others I am pretty proud of. And well, at the time I _did_ despise him, and he disliked me.”

“Not that it matters. You’re dating now, so it all worked out,” Yunho said, taking a seat next to the Hufflepuffs.

“It all worked out,” Hongjoong echoed. “Did you really believe we’d end up here?” he asked Yunho curiously.

The Gryffindor hummed thoughtfully. “Not exactly, but at the same time I did suspect all that tension would lead to a point that would change your relationship—for the better or the worse. I’m glad it was for the better.”

“I am glad too,” Hongjoong admitted shyly, his ears turning pink. 

Although it was now known all around Hogwarts that the Hufflepuff Prefect and the Ravenclaw Prefect were a thing, Hongjoong was still fairly shy about it all. He liked to be a private person, intense in his feelings but not to the point that it was written across his face—not that he could control that, the way he looked at Seonghwa these days was way too telling, but Yunho wouldn’t expose him. 

Seonghwa was different. Yunho had discovered that when the Ravenclaw loved he wanted to do so intensely and openly, no shame in how foolish he might look while doing so. With the two Prefects on the same page, there was no stopping Seonghwa, Yunho supposed.

The Ravenclaw had started to eat his breakfast at the Hufflepuff table, which had made Hongjoong blush as red as the Gryffindor colors, much to everyone’s amusement—Seonghwa’s including.

The Ravenclaw had been brave that morning, trying to feed Hongjoong, who had refused at first and then just accepted his fate. As retaliation, Hongjoong had sent a Howler to Seonghwa during lunch, it had been filled with the grossest pet names and declarations of love. Hongjoong had thought it would mortify Seonghwa and, although the Ravenclaw had looked embarrassed—pink cheeked and blinking owlishly—it hadn’t really had the effect Hongjoong had hoped for.

(Seonghwa had kissed him in front of everyone in the Great Hall, earning many cheers from fellow Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, _especially_ from their respective Quidditch teams.)

Yunho had realized the prank war had now moved onto who could be more cheesy. It was their thing, he supposed, as silly as it was, it was cute too.

Before any of the boys could keep talking, Professor Son began the class. It went by fairly quickly and, soon enough, they were walking up all the stairs to the North Tower to attend _Divination_. Yunho never had been that much into the art of divination, or the class itself, but these days it was becoming his favorite. The six fifth years shared that class, as well as _Care of Magical Creatures_ and _Astronomy_ , so of course Yunho started to look forward to them.

When they entered the _Divination_ classroom, it didn’t come as a surprise to anyone when the group huddled together and took up the seats in the back of the classroom. The usual seating arrangements were broken by Hongjoong and Seonghwa sitting next to one another, and Yunho sitting with Wooyoung as Yeosang and Mingi sat with each other.

The first time this had happened even Professor Taehyung had taken a moment to blink at them, but then he had smiled—a secret kind of smile—and muttered quietly to himself, “Finally.”

Yunho and Jongho had found a lot of hilarity in the way this newfound friendship had even made some professors take a moment to process it. But slowly everyone was just accepting it and rolling with it, glad that the endless tension had been broken. Some had mourned the end of the prank wars as they had provided to be quite the source of entertainment for a lot of students—and Yunho suspected some professors as well.

“Today I’d like to introduce something new to the class: Tarot.” Professor Taehyung began the class. “It is a Muggle art of divination, but over the decades it has been appreciated by the wizarding community more and more. The art of cartomancy has become common in between wizards, but not many have accepted it as a true form of magic.” Wooyoung sat up straight in his seat, eyes sparkling with interest. He had once told Yunho that he wanted to become the next _Divination_ professor and he could see that happening. Wooyoung was passionate, probably rivaling Professor Taehyung’s own passion for the topic. “I have provided several decks, but they won’t be enough so you will have to work in groups.” He gestured his hand wildly. “Set up groups of four to six,” he said and the students began moving around.

“Well, that _is_ convenient,” Hongjoong said as he and Seonghwa inched their seats closer to the table Yunho and Wooyoung were seated at. Mingi and Yeosang joined in.

“I feel as though he did that on purpose,” Yeosang muttered, eyeing their _Divination_ professor suspiciously. 

Wooyoung laughed to himself. “Imagine this happening like five months ago…”

“Please don’t say that,” Yunho complained. “I would have gotten the worst headache.” As he worded that he saw Seonghwa and Hongjoong linking their fingers together.

Wooyoung seemed to have seen that as well, scrunching up his nose. “Well, now I am the one to have a headache. Don’t be so cute,” he said in the direction of the Prefects. “Not everyone has the privilege.” He grew quiet then, a sad pull to his lips. “I wish San could have been here—attend Hogwarts with us.” Yunho placed a warm hand on his shoulders, hoping it offered some sort of comfort. “Ah, how selfish of me.” Wooyoung tried to laugh it off.

“Don’t scold yourself,” Mingi said. “It’s natural to want things you can’t have, as long as you don’t get lost in them.”

Yunho’s heart grew soft. Mingi and Wooyoung was a strange sort of combination, and Yunho was glad they were starting to get along. Over the past months, seeing his old friends and the new friends he had made interact with one another had made him react emotionally. He was so incredibly grateful though.

Wooyoung gave Mingi a grateful smile. “I try not to get lost in it, but I tend to overthink…” He quietened down when Professor Taehyung approached them to hand them a deck of Tarot cards, Wooyoung accepted it gracefully, the sadness from before vanishing as he smiled at the professor.

“Maybe the cards can offer you some kind of comfort,” Yeosang said.

“Yeah. Maybe.” Wooyoung took them out to shuffle them with an expertise that showed it wasn’t his first time using Tarot cards. Despite that he obviously knew how cartomancy worked, he did wait for Professor Taehyung to further explain their task.

“As many other forms of divination, start off by getting acquaintanced with the medium you are using, in this case the deck. Shuffle the cards, feel them out, study the variety of cards there are and their meanings… Then we’ll begin to ease into the art of cartomancy. We will use Tarot cards for a couple of classes to fully cover this topic and not rush it, as it can take quite some time to build up a genuine connection to the cards,” Professor Taehyung was explaining, captivating the students’s attention easily. “If you feel as though you are ready, try asking the cards questions—not too hard or complicated, start easily, but don’t use ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions. Black and white answers tend to get tricky when it comes to divination, as you know.” He finished his explanation, motioning at the students to begin their task.

Wooyoung stopped shuffling the cards, glancing at his friends. “I already have used Tarot before so I think I should let you guys go first.”

“I will give it a try,” said Yeosang, much to Wooyoung’s surprise. The Gryffindor handed the Ravenclaw the deck of cards.

Clumsily, Yeosang began shuffling the cards, looking at the different drawings and names. As the minutes stretched out they all noticed that one card showed up more than the other cards on the top of the deck.

“The Lovers,” he read, looking at Wooyoung for consultation. Mingi handed him the guide book Professor Taehyung had given them earlier together with the cards, where the information about them was written down.

“Notice that the cards’s meaning differs from whether they are upside down or not,” Wooyoung pointed out quietly.

“It has been both; how should I interpret that?” Yeosang questioned, looking at the Gryffindor curiously.

Wooyoung hummed. “You haven’t exactly asked anything, have you?”

Yeosang shook his head. “No. But there has been something on my mind for a while, and I suppose,” he started, glancing at the guide book’s definition of The Lovers, “both meanings could hold a potential truth.”

“Falling in love and new commitments, as well as separation and broken relationships,” read Yunho, looking at Yeosang and then Mingi, and lastly at Seonghwa—who seemed to be still unaware of the fact that Yeosang had been in love with him.

“Broken relationships?” Seonghwa repeated, frowning.

Yeosang bit his bottom lip. “I wouldn’t call it broken, but perhaps the image of a relationship—the fantasy of what could have been but never was supposed to happen…” Mingi was staring at the Ravenclaw with wide eyes. Seonghwa was frowning, but he didn’t further ask.

“I would like to try,” Hongjoong spoke up then, breaking the strange tension that had settled over them, and Yeosang handed him the cards. His approach to shuffling the cards was different from Wooyoung and Yeosang’s for he used the table to spread them out and made a bit of a mess, if Yunho was honest. “Small hands problems,” Hongjoong defended himself, eliciting a snort from Wooyoung.

“I like your hands,” Seonghwa whispered, earning now a groan from Wooyoung.

“Please let me focus,” Hongjoong said, glancing briefly at Seonghwa, his cheeks dusted pink. Once he was satisfied he collected the cards, held them so that the back of them was showing, and pulled the first card, turning it around. “I guess I’ll try to do a reading.”

“I can help with the interpretation,” Wooyoung offered, curiously peeking at the card. “ _Oh_.”

The card showed an orange background with ten golden goblets—or cups, as it read on the bottom of the card—that seemed to be connected by some sort of divine light pouring out of them and onto them. It seemed to be a good card.

Hongjoong’s face remained calm as he read up on the keywords in the guide book.

“Ten of Cups can be a positive card, especially if drawn upright as you did,” Wooyoung revealed. “Did you ask a question or have a specific thought in mind?”

“Not a question, but I did wonder about my relationship with Seonghwa,” Hongjoong revealed, pulling his eyes away from the guide book to look at the Ravenclaw Prefect.

Seonghwa’s lips parted, pulling the card towards him with his fingers to study it.

“Ten of Cups can mean a sense of completion or alignment. Not only that, but a message about emerging from hard times too. The Tarot deck that I use has a rainbow to symbolize that, and a family to show that feeling of togetherness,” Wooyoung kept explaining. “I guess it is quite fitting.”

**~*~**

Yunho was still giggling to himself as he was walking back to the Gryffindor Tower that night. He had had a blast with Jongho and Jungkook. He could understand why Hongjoong and Mingi had played the pranks all these years: there was something quite exhilarating to it. He had promised the pranksters that he’d join in for the next prank as well, much to the young Slytherin’s excitement. 

Hogwarts during nighttime was breathtaking, not just the grounds with the endless starry sky spreading out like a comforting blanket, and the Forbidden Forest and Black Lake like nature’s guardians to protect the castle from any harm—especially during spring and summer when the weather would become kind and beautiful—but there was something magical about the inside of the castle as well. 

The tall Gryffindor liked the night and its darkness, he liked wandering the castle and finding the ghosts calmly existing without the clamor of the students at daytime. When the paintings were sleeping quietly and there were no sounds to disrupt this tranquil atmosphere. Of course he could hear quiet whispers of other students that definitely did not respect the rules, but Yunho was one of them so he couldn’t exactly complain.

Just as he was stretching his arms above his head, rolling his head from one side to the other, looking forward to falling into the softness of his bed, he spotted two figures in the far distance, by the end of the corridor he was walking down. One of them was tall while the other was rather small; the two figures stood close to one another, something intimate and gentle about their positions. Yunho was just about to take a different route and leave these two individuals alone, when the taller one moved their head and the light of a nearby torch lit up their features.

 _Mingi_ , Yunho realized.

That meant the smaller student had to be Yeosang, there was no one else Mingi would find himself with in this position. There was no doubt now that they were kissing heatedly. 

The Gryffindor shook his head, a small smile on his face. He _tsked_ quietly before he turned around to leave his friends to it, but he did hope that they would find safer spots to kiss than the corridor.

Mingi froze and Yeosang pulled away softly, craning his head upwards to look at the Hufflepuff, who was staring off into the corridor.

“What is it?” Yeosang inquired, looking in the same direction.

“I thought I just saw someone,” Mingi said, frowning. Yeosang’s heart jumped. 

He wasn’t ready yet to have this—whatever it was—made known. Not even Yeosang’s friends knew he was sort of, sort of not seeing Mingi. They hadn’t put a label on it, mostly because Yeosang was still struggling to understand his feelings. How love itself worked. Although Mingi had agreed to take it slow, Yeosang was growing impatient. He wasn’t quite sure why, after all Mingi was doing this for _him_ and yet Yeosang wanted more. 

Of what exactly? That was a question that he wasn’t quite able to answer. He just wanted _more_.

More of kissing Mingi; more of them spending time together; more of Seonghwa, more of _getting_ _over_ Seonghwa; more of feeling those butterflies in the pit of his stomach rather than the soul crushing pain he felt whenever he saw Seonghwa and Hongjoong act lovingly with each other; more of those tingles on his skin when Mingi brushed his hand against Yeosang’s… 

Yeosang wanted a lot. 

He had tried to make charts and diagrams trying to understand how he could love two people at once. He had tried to analyze his own feelings, but it had been to no avail. When he had confided in Jongho about all of this, the Slytherin had shook his head and told Yeosang that he should just let go a little—bit by bit—and not focus too much on how it all worked. So Yeosang had tried that too.

Admittedly, it worked better than his scientific approach, but he still harbored feelings for his best friend. They weren’t as loud as they used to be and that burning flame in his heart was dimmed down, replaced by a comforting sensation that he got whenever he was hanging out with Mingi. 

Whereas his love for Seonghwa had burned his soul and made all the hairs on his skin stand up, Mingi offered him a peace of mind. This love was rather quiet and slow. Like thick clouds that came creeping up from the horizon until the entire Great Lake was covered in mist, impending and foreseeable; or when Yeosang bit into his favorite Hogwarts dessert and, although he knew he was going to love it, it was always surprising and pleasant.

The initial tension in between them, when they still had been rivals of some sort, had died down, especially once they had begun to become friends. The more Yeosang tried less to get over Seonghwa and just accept Mingi’s adoration, the easier it was becoming to get over the pain, and so he tried, as Jongho had put it, to let go.

“Maybe we should go to sleep,” Mingi said quietly.

“I don’t want to yet.” Yeosang pouted.

Mingi glanced at him, at first that blank look of his crossing his face, but soon a smile bloomed. The difference was astounding. The more Yeosang paid attention to Mingi and the subtle changes in his expression, the more he realized how unfairly he had judged him. Mingi’s impassive self could be quite misleading for his smile presented a more accurate version of who he truly was: a gentle boy who had been hurt terribly in the past and was scared of getting hurt again. Yeosang didn’t want to hurt him—not anymore, not again.

“Okay. Lead the way then; what do you want to do?”

“I don’t really mind as long as it is with you,” Yeosang responded, feeling his cheeks grow pink. 

But so did Mingi’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for 702 kudos, it means a lot to me!!! 💛💛💛💛
> 
> little disclaimer: i am not that well versed in the art of tarot, i only started to get into it last year, so i apologize if there are any inaccuracies!! 
> 
> ALSO!!! [Light](https://twitter.com/thrulightandark) wrote this amazing fic called [Take A Minute of The Pain Away](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23795032/chapters/57164839) based on San and his story prior to When Ghosts Cry as well as his POV during the events of this fic. It's so so good!! Please give it all the love!


	27. Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i honestly wanted to make the chapter longer but i'm so bad at writing romantic stuff :/ i'm not the proudest of this one but i hope you enjoy it anyway!!

The jitters that accompanied the arrival of the first April Sunday were completely justified, in Seonghwa’s opinion. Now that him and Hongjoong were dating, the prospect of dates was thrilling to him. After that first sort of date in the Hogwarts Kitchens, he was debating with himself on how to ask Hongjoong out on an _actual_ date. In between school work and bringing San back it had been difficult, but now one of those two was out of the way. The approach of their O.W.L.s made him a little less excited, but they still had two months until then, surely they’d find the time to go on a date.

“I think you should take him to Hogsmeade this Sunday,” Wooyoung told him. 

They were seated in the Ravenclaw Common Room, unbothered as it was late at night, and, for once, they were doing absolutely _nothing_. One of the tower’s windows was open wide, letting the Spring air roam through the room and carrying a sweet scent with it. In the far distance, Seonghwa could see the Forbidden Forest.

“We’re already going as a group, that’s hardly special,” he said, pressing his lips together.

Yeosang moved his head to the side and stared at him with an exasperated look on his face. “Merlin, you’re dense,” he muttered. “Hogsmeade. Date. There’s only one place that comes in question.”

Seonghwa blushed, wrinkling his nose. “Hongjoong doesn’t exactly look like the type who’d enjoy _Madam Puddifoot’s_ though…”

Wooyoung hummed thoughtfully. “You have a point. He does look like he’d kill you if you were to take him there.”

Yeosang laughed. “Mingi told me otherwise. He says Hongjoong is secretly into this sort of stuff. He is just bad at expressing that softer side of his.”

“Really?” Seonghwa inquired, a grin tugging at his lips. “He _has_ been oddly cheesy when we’re alone.”

“I think you should ask him to _Madam Puddifoot’s_ ,” Yeosang told him, reaching out his hand to pat Seonghwa’s knee encouragingly. “I’m sure he’ll love it. If not, there’s always _The Three Broomsticks_.”

“That’s the least romantic place on earth,” Wooyoung complained. “Do _not_ take him there! I will literally fight you!”

Yeosang laughed. 

Seonghwa let out a distressed sigh. “Agh, I don’t know what to do!”

“Maybe Hongjoong will beat you to it,” Wooyoung said, shrugging.

“I hope so. I’ve never dated anyone.”

“Didn’t Hongjoong date Yunho?” Wooyoung suddenly brought up, frowning as he tried to recall.

“He did,” Seonghwa said. “He says it was more of an experimental thing for both of them.”

Wooyoung hummed again, shifting his position on the couch so that now he had his head on Yeosang’s lap, who let out a groan of protest but did pat Wooyoung’s hair softly. “Sounds about right.”

Seonghwa let out a frustrated little sigh, half scream.

After the events of the past months, one would think that asking out Hongjoong would be easy, but Seonghwa was sweating just thinking about it. Their playful flirting over the past weeks—the competition to see who could embarrass the other more—had been one thing, but there hadn’t been that many moments for them to completely lower their walls and be wholly vulnerable. He knew with time they could get there though. He _should_ give them time; after all they only had become friendly towards one another about four months ago.

“I think I’ll ask him tomorrow after dinner,” he finally said, not as decided as he felt he should be. “Fuck it, I’ll ask him out to _Madam Puddifoot’s_. I can always play it off as a joke if he doesn’t like the idea.”

Wooyoung glanced at him, so did Yeosang, craning his neck. “Tell us how it goes,” the Gryffindor said.

“How is San?” Seonghwa decided to ask, he was done—emotionally—talking about asking Hongjoong out. He would only end up freaking himself out about it.

Wooyoung smiled, it was private and begging to take over his face. “Good. You know how he is, you talk to him all the time too.”

“Well, yeah. But you two do share a closer bond.”

Wooyoung’s smile broadened. “As you know he was going to start school in a week, but that plan might not happen after all. He has no basic knowledge about Muggle education. He doesn’t know math or science or biology—he barely understands what the internet is…”

“It’s probably for the best. Imagine throwing him into high school with teenagers while he doesn’t know anything about the Muggle world,” said Yeosang thoughtfully.

“We have to visit him over summer,” Seonghwa spoke up. “The eight of us should hang out. We could go on a camping trip or something.”

“A Muggle camping trip or…?” Wooyoung asked. “Because I don’t know how I feel about being crammed into a small tent.”

“But that makes it so much more organic!”

Wooyoung wrinkled up his nose. “I don’t know about that, Hwa.” The Gryffindor looked up at Yeosang then, his reading glasses slipping up the bridge of his nose. He adjusted them up before he spoke, “What about you Yeosang? How is it going with Mingi?”

Yeosang froze, glancing at Seonghwa.

“It’s… We’re taking our time,” Yeosang answered slowly— _carefully_ , Seonghwa realized. “There are still some unresolved things for me, but I could see us getting together over summer or so.” He shrugged awkwardly.

“That’s nice,” Wooyoung told him. “I think you’d make a good couple. Not what one would have expected, you know, but sometimes that works even better.”

“Opposites _do_ attract,” Seonghwa added, wanting to make sure Yeosang knew he was supportive of them.

“Yes, look at Hwa and Hongjoong.”

Yeosang hummed. “They’re very similar though. Maybe not at first glance, especially with their houses being a bit contradicting, but they’re both strong willed and value their friends and hard work. I think they’re more alike than one might think.”

Seonghwa’s heart skipped a beat and he felt a blush grace his cheeks.

He had always thought that Hongjoong and him were miles apart, but after growing closer to him he had to agree with Yeosang, it had been easy getting along with Hongjoong. Their conversations over the past months, the way they had handled the hardships and complications, he could see why Yunho had always believed they would end up being friendly towards one another. There were their aspirations as well—with both being Prefects and Quidditch Captains.

“I think,” he started, “I agree with Yeosang. The more time I spent with him the more I realize we share many similarities.”

Yeosang faced Seonghwa and with a quiet tone, he asked, “Do you—love him?”

Seonghwa was caught off guard by the question. He could tell that for whatever reasons, Yeosang had been hesitant about his relationship with Hongjoong at first, even when he had said he was supportive it had seemed a little forced. His question now didn’t hold that same awkwardness anymore.

Seonghwa struggled to find an answer, and he hated himself a little for it. “I do. And I know I will fall in love with him, harder than now. I think…” he trailed off, trying to find his words. “I think the more I’ll get to know him—the closer we will grow now as friends rather than rivals—it will make me love him more. It’s something exciting to look forward to—the idea of falling in love with Hongjoong as time progresses.”

Yeosang smiled, satisfied with the answer. “I think it is the same for me with Mingi. Not an immediate thing, but something that builds with time. Like we’re making a puzzle, trying to figure out where the pieces go together.”

**~*~**

Hongjoong paced back and forth in the Kitchens. He wasn’t sure when exactly they had become his and Seonghwa’s spot, but somehow that had been the progression of events. After that first sort of date, not really a date, but in the end _definitely_ a date, he had promised Yunho—and himself—that he would ask Seonghwa out properly. 

Mingi and Yunho had given him pep talks about an hour ago in the Hufflepuff Common Room, hyping him up, and at the time Hongjoong had felt incredibly optimistic, sending out a note to Seonghwa to meet him in the Kitchens, but now he was terrified. He had only ever asked out one person, and that had been Yunho. 

“Do you want to, like, go out tomorrow?” Hongjoong had asked, finishing up a _Potions_ essay while Yunho had been doing his _Charms_ homework.

Yunho had looked at him, eyebrows raised funnily. “You mean, as in a date?” he had inquired.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Okay.”

“Cool.”

And they had gone back to not talking and doing their homework silently. It hadn’t been romantic or nerve wracking. Nothing compared to the jitters Hongjoong was feeling in that instant. He had styled his hair and put on a nice dress shirt, his best jeans, and even—with the help of Jungeun—had applied some makeup to his face. He wanted to put in as much effort as possible for Seonghwa.

It felt like an eternity before the Kitchens’s door finally opened and the Ravenclaw Prefect walked through it. He looked dashing, his raven hair slicked away from his face, wet from a shower. Seonghwa was dressed in sweatpants and a simple t-shirt.

“I came as quickly as I could, but I had Quidditch practice and—” he halted, abruptly, taking notice of Hongjoong’s dressed up state. “Oh.” He looked down at his own homely attire. “Um, was this a date? I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“No, no, don’t worry,” Hongjoong said quickly, before Seonghwa could feel any more sorry for himself. “This isn’t a date, I just—I wanted to, uh, impress you,” he mumbled the words, embarrassed.

Seonghwa stared at him, clearly he had heard him, but a sneaky smile bloomed on his face. “What was that?”

“Shut up,” Hongjoong walked up close to him.

“Make me.” He grinned.

“That’s—cheesy. Stop that,” Hongjoong said, rolling his eyes, but he did end up kissing Seonghwa softly. He pulled away, his heart racing in his chest. “I actually asked you here to ask you something.”

“Alright. Shoot.”

They were still standing close, their hands as entangled as their gazes. Hongjoong took a deep breath, inhaling Seonghwa’s shampoo—which he had realized, over the past months, was the same Hongjoong had been using for years. _You got this_ , he told himself.

“Hogsmeade is this Sunday,” he began. Seonghwa nodded his head, the playful grin vanishing, and instead he was looking at him intensely, a subtle blush on his cheeks. “And I, well, I wanted to like, ask you out?”

“Is that the question?”

“No. I do want to ask you out to _Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop_ …” Seonghwa stared at him, a smile tugging at his lips, but he waited for Hongjoong to continue. “What I _wanted_ to ask, is if you wanted to go on a date with me, to _Madam Puddifoot’s_?” He took in another deep breath, holding it, as he waited for Seonghwa’s answer.

The Ravenclaw Prefect smiled at him, his eyes crinkling beautiful. There was something very youthful about his appearance then, away from the mean rival Hongjoong had known all his life; away from the studious and respected Prefect and Hogwarts student; away from the quick witted and strong warlock he had been in the face of danger… He was just a boy then—just Seonghwa—a boy in love. The boy Hongjoong loved.

“Yes. I would love to,” he answered, pulling the Hufflepuff closer so they could kiss again. Hongjoong’s pulse was flying.

“Good.”

Seonghwa snorted. “Good?”

“Sorry. I was—am—really nervous,” Hongjoong apologized.

“You’re cute.”

**~*~**

Seonghwa had never been to _Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop_ , at least not with the purpose of a date. 

During his second year, he had once gone inside with Yeosang and Wooyoung, the three of them giggling as they had stared at the frilly and tacky decoration—the bows and overall pinkness to it had been horrendous. They had tried not to snort at the couples holding hands on the top of the tables—or underneath—and stealing kisses from one another. 

How the times had changed. Now he was about to be one of those couples.

Hongjoong spoke to the staff by the counter while Seonghwa lingered in the back, staring around the tea shop with wide eyes—it was even more horrendous looking than he remembered. The pink colors were nearly blinding, but the cakes and pastries by the counter looked delicious, rivalring those at Hogwarts. It made his embarrassment simmer down a bit.

Thankfully, their friends hadn’t walked them to the tea shop. Seonghwa knew Wooyoung and Jongho would have pulled faces and made fun of them. The rest of their group had walked Hogsmeade’s streets, agreeing that they would end up going to _The Three Broomsticks_. 

Seonghwa was drawn out of his thoughts by Hongjoong, who nodded his head in the direction of the staff member he had spoken to. She guided them towards a free table, which was quite difficult around this time of the year, it seemed as though all of Hogwarts’s couples had decided on that day to go on a date—Seonghwa saw Keonhee and Hwanwoong, Chuu and Jungeun, and a bunch of other students he didn’t know the names of.

It was morifying when Hwanwoong waggled his eyebrows as they walked past him and Keonhee. Both the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Quidditch teams had thrown a little party when the news had gotten out that their respective Captains were dating, it turned out all of them had been on the bet Yeeun had mentioned. Changbin had probably been one of the most supportive as well as most insufferable ones.

Seonghwa glared at the tiny Gryffindor before he joined Hongjoong by their table. The staff member smiled kindly at them and handed them menus before she walked off, wishing them a pleasant stay.

“I’ve heard from Yunho that the chocolate strawberry cake is very good,” Hongjoong mentioned quietly.

It was slightly awkward, which wasn’t all too surprising. Although they had made their relationship official and had openly flirted with one another, this was technically their first date. _Date_ and the implications of it—what would come after, what this milestone represented in their long history—was a lot for them to acknowledge.

“Yunho has been here? I thought he was asexual.”

“That doesn’t mean he can’t date people or be in relationships,” Hongjoong retorted, lowering his menu.

“I suppose you’re right. I don’t know much about the topic. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. If it weren’t for Yunho’s knowledge on sexual orientations I would have never realized I’m pansexual.”

Seonghwa hummed. For him, it had always been clear he was gay, but when Wooyoung had come out as bisexual and Yeosang had mentioned not quite finding a fitting label, he had learned it wasn’t all so black and white. 

Hongjoong put down the menu. “I know what I’ll be ordering.” Seonghwa scanned the menu, the options too overwhelming. The Hufflepuff boy smiled. “Do you want me to order for you?”

Gratefully, Seonghwa nodded his head. “Yes. Have you been here before too?”

Hongjoong’s ears turned pink. “Once. I went on a date with a Slytherin girl. It didn’t really work out.” He shrugged. “Have you been here—?” he began asking but trailed off.

“No. This is my first time.”

“Well, I hope you’ll like it.”

“The interior deco isn’t really my style, to put it in a way, but the food looks incredible,” he added the last bit quickly as Hongjoong’s expression was faltering. “I actually had thought about asking you out here, but I wasn’t sure if you’d like it.”

Hongjoong’s cheeks turned as pink as the tips of his ears, an embarrassed smile forming on his face. If there were a sound attached to it, it would be of a baby chick squeaking.

Before any more awkward conversation could bloom between them, _Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop_ ’s staff member came back, holding a notepad.

“Are you ready to order?” she inquired.

About twenty minutes later, they had their table covered in three different cake types, two mugs of coffee, and a bowl of fresh fruit of the season. The details put into the cake were probably as cheesy as the interior design, but they tasted deliciously. They filled the air with animated conversation, laughing at anecdotes and tales of their adventures with their friends.

“This one time Yunho forgot to bring spare clothes,” Hongjoong was saying, “and the clothes he had brought were wet due to the rain, so we had to sneak into the castle at dawn with Yunho still as a dog. It was so nerve wracking. We nearly got caught!”

“I never really asked you, what is the animal that you take shape of? Is it an otter? I’ve read that many Animagi take the form of their Patronus.”

“That is true, but I’m actually a lynx,” Hongjoong explained.

Seonghwa hummed. “It fits you. An otter would have fitted you, too, but the lynx makes a lot of sense.”

Hongjoong smiled. “They’re really great.”

“Can I—” Seonghwa started, but blushed. His request felt weirdly intimate. “Can I see you one day? When you transform?”

Hongjoong nodded his head. “In fact, if you’d like, you could join us on the next full moon. Your friends too,” he offered.

“I’ll think about it. The Prohibited Forest still kind of scares me. Not as much as before, but I don’t know if I would voluntarily go in there at night time.”

Hongjoong laughed. “We don’t have to go there, we could chill by the Black Lake.”

As their plates emptied, and their coffees turned into a poodle of foamed milk by the bottom of the mug, they decided to finish their date. Hongjoong paid for the cakes and coffee, and Seonghwa insisted that they head over to _The Three Broomsticks_ to invite the Hufflepuff for some Butterbeer. 

As they walked through Hogsmeade they did so while holding their hands. It had been a bit awkward at first, but Seonghwa had thought _fuck it_ , they were dating, this is what people on dates did—hold hands. 

“Are you ready?” Hongjoong asked him as they stood in front of the infamous inn. 

They knew their friends would ogle them and most likely have infuriating smirks on their faces, high fiving each other. Even if it had been a while now, they still acted as though Hongjoong and Seonghwa had gotten together only recently. Especially Wooyoung, he liked to tease them, and Jongho never fell short in following Wooyoung’s steps. Yunho was hard to predict, sometimes he could be a little shit and other times he could be incredibly cheesy and vax poetry about how beautiful love was.

“Let’s do this,” Seonghwa said, grabbing Hongjoong’s hand tighter before he entered _The Three Broomsticks_.

They spotted their group of friends easily, towards the back of the inn. They were joined by Quidditch team members of different houses. Changbin looked excited when he saw them, nodding his head.

“Yeah,” he said, grinning. “Hell yeah!”

“He is so embarrassing,” Hongjoong muttered under his breath as they walked over to them. “How do you endure him?”

“I don’t,” Seonghwa hissed. He punched the Beater on his shoulder, who let out a yelp. “Stop being weird.”

“I’m just really hyped about this,” Changbin complained as he scooted over to leave room for Hongjoong and Seonghwa.

“You’re worse than Yunho,” Hongjoong said. “And he predicted this for years.”

Yunho smiled proudly. “I should open up a matchmaking service.”

“You should shut up,” Hongjoong mumbled.

“I heard that!”

The group settled easily into friendly banter, thankfully moving away from Seonghwa and Hongjoong, who kept holding hands under the table. The evening progressed pleasantly until it was almost time for dinner and the students made their way over to Hogwarts again. Jongho had left early, saying something about an important meeting he had to attend.

The sun was falling when they reached the castle in high spirits, the group parted ways as they crossed the huge entrance. Hongjoong and Seonghwa stuck to one another still, not wanting the day to finish.

“I’m gonna go… do stuff,” Wooyoung said, walking away in a very suspicious manner. Jongho and Yunho were quick to follow him. Mingi and Yeosang had excused themselves minutes ago, saying they needed to write up some report, which everyone knew was probably a lie, but they didn’t point it out.

“Yeah, go do your stuff, Wooyoung,” Hongjoong called after the Gryffindor, who threw them a couple of thumbs up, pulling an obnoxious face. “I hate him.”

“Nah, he’s growing on you.”

Hongjoong pouted but did not deny the statement.

“I really enjoyed myself today,” Seonghwa said as they walked down a corridor on the second floor. The sun was setting outside, its last rays shining through the window, tinging everything in orange, pink, and yellow. The way it made Hongjoong’s tanned skin shimmer, made Seonghwa’s breath stop. He was beautiful.

“I did too,” Hongjoong said, stopping. He pulled at Seonghwa’s hand, pulling him closer. “Hey,” he whispered.

“Hi.”

Without hesitation, Seonghwa leaned his face downwards, brushing his lips against Hongjoong’s. It wasn’t their first kiss or their second, probably not even their tenth, but it still sent his mind spinning and his heart into overdrive. It wasn’t loud or wild as it once had felt, to kiss Hongjoong, but rather like a small bird fluttering its wings on a lazy and warm spring day, when the sun bathed down on it, and everything was just _right_.

It was comforting and it was home, and it was something Seonghwa knew he wanted to do for a long time, if not forever.

Kissing Hongjoong had moved from something thrilling and dangerous to being still thrilling but there was now a layer of trust there, and love. The way Hongjoong kissed him was so full of love, passion, and gentleness. He had always been gentle, holding Seonghwa’s face with his long and delicate fingers, caressing his cheek with his thumb. 

When they parted, they left little distance between their faces, resting their foreheads together. Matching smiles pulled at their lips, and Seonghwa had to cross his eyes to look properly at Hongjoong so he closed them. He breathed in the familiar scent of the Hufflepuff—cinnamon and something fruity, and then there was just Hongjoong’s own body odor. It was strong and unmissable, but not unpleasant.

Seonghwa took in a deep breath.

He thought back to when they had guided San through the door, when they had all seen each other in the essences—their souls—and how beautiful Hongjoong had looked. Even with his eyes closed, Seonghwa could still see him then, just the way he had seen him at the door’s threshold. 

Overcome with so much love and care, the words just spilled out of Seonghwa, “I love you,” he said—whispered. For a moment, Hongjoong stayed quiet and Seonghwa wasn’t sure if he had actually said it or just thought it.

“I love you, too, Seonghwa,” Hongjoong finally said back, leaning forward again to press a chaste and soft kiss against the Ravenclaw’s lips.


	28. Days of Past Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again!! i'm sorry it took so long and i'm sorry this chapter isn't that long, i've been struggling to find my words lately and write as i used to, but i hope you do enjoy this!

It was the day after April’s full moon and Mingi wasn’t in the Great Hall that morning, but it wasn’t unusual. It hadn’t been before and it wasn’t now.

When Mingi had been forced to reveal his lycanthropy to Headmistress Min, things had changed for the young werewolf. Mingi had explained to Hongjoong and Yunho that Professor Namjoon took care of the few werewolves at Hogwarts, leading them to a secluded area in the Forbidden Forest where they could roam freely together—unharmed—and that Professor Shin had a huge supply of _Wolfsbane_ potions always at disposition. It was incredibly relieving to know that Mingi’s secret being exposed had worked out for the better.

Despite his best friend’s absence, Hongjoong had to admit that he was not missing Mingi much that morning: it had become an usual occurrence for Seonghwa to sit at the Hufflepuff table, and Hongjoong was extremely glad about that.

They sat close to each other, their knees bumping together as they ate breakfast. Yeosang was over at the Ravenclaw table, speaking about something with his younger brother, Taehyun. Wooyoung and Yunho were at the Gryffindor table for once. Jongho was nowhere to be found, but his Slytherin friends, Felix and Eunbin, didn’t appear to be too concerned, fighting over a piece of toast.

After the intense couple of months, in which they had clung to one another, they slowly had started to hang out with their other Hogwarts friends again. But there was no denying that the eight of them shared a bond that was incomparable to anything else.

“I was in the Gryffindor Common Room yesterday, working on the _Divination_ assignment with Wooyoung, and some second year Gryffindors decided to play _Monopoly_. It was hell,” Seonghwa complained, yawning. “We didn’t get to bed until like 1am.”

“What’s _Monopoly_?” Hongjoong asked curiously.

“It’s hell. You end up murdering everyone,” Seonghwa replied. “We can play it sometime. Over summer, with San.”

“Sure. Sounds like… fun.” Hongjoong wrinkled up his nose.

“Oh, it is. Wooyoung went bankrupt twice. I’ve never had so much fun!” Seonghwa grinned.

“Muggle games sound intense.”

“You have Wizarding Chess, with the moving figurines that destroy your opponents one…”

“Yeah, but no one goes bankrupt. There’s no murdering involved,” Hongjoong tried to argue. “First _Dungeons & Dragons _ and now _Monopoly_? I’m scared.”

Seonghwa laughed.

“Wait until he discovers video games,” Keonhee muttered, grinning.

Before Hongjoong could reveal that he had actually played video games at Yunho’s—well, _one_ video game—Jongho walked through the entrance of the Great Hall, a troubling look on his face. He scanned the crowd of students until his eyes found Seonghwa’s. The Slytherin made his way over to them quickly. He sat down, grabbing himself some breakfast, not even greeting them.

“What is it?” Seonghwa asked, frowning.

“I talked to Headmistress Min this morning,” Jongho answered with his mouth full of food. Hongjoong grimaced, but didn’t tell him he was being gross. “She told me that the Ministry has decided for a trial,” he revealed. “She says it’s most likely my uncle will end up in Azkaban.”

“Oh,” Seonghwa breathed out, his expression falling. He leaned forward, taking Jongho’s hand in his. “I’m sorry.” 

It was obvious Seonghwa didn’t feel sorry for Yeol, but he did feel empathetic for Jongho. After all, he had been betrayed by his own family member. Jongho’s mother had been devastated about the news.

“It’s what he deserves,” Jongho whispered so that no one else picked up their conversation. “He was ready to sell me out. He was ready for me to become a monster.”

“I’m sorry, Jongho,” Seonghwa repeated again, squeezing the Slytherin’s hand. “At least, he will be where he belongs now.”

“Yeah,” the youngest said, his expression crestfallen. “The person that has been helping me with the Order said I would have to go to court, to verify that Yeol is guilty.”

Hongjoong frowned. “But wouldn’t that mean you would have to admit we were at the Ministry that night?”

“He doesn’t seem concerned by it. I’m not sure why. It’s as if we’re getting a free pass for breaking into the Ministry.”

“Something feels off,” Hongjoong said. “I think you should be wary. Even if he’s helping you… We can’t be too sure.”

Jongho nodded his head. “I know.” 

**~*~**

It was mid May and the stress of the O.W.L.s was becoming nearly suffocating. They had less than a month before their knowledge would be tested.

Seonghwa had been preparing for this for a long time, but it still scared him terribly. The pressure of being a good Prefect, which he definitely hadn’t been that year, caught up with his personal life and the adventures of his friends, as well as being a good Captain, which he felt as if he had failed too. He didn’t feel confident about their game against Slytherin.

More often than not, Seonghwa was found studying until late in the Ravenclaw Common Room with Yeosang, or in the Library together with the rest of their friends. Sometimes he did go on study dates with Hongjoong, both of them with their heads buried in books, practicing spells, helping each other with what they lacked. It was rewarding, though, as Hongjoong sneaked in a stolen kiss or two. Seonghwa tried to tell him that they needed to study and focus, but he secretly enjoyed the fact that Hongjoong was so keen on kissing him, or holding his hand while they read through monstrously thick books.

It was one of those nights, Seonghwa was awake past midnight, Yeosang with him on one of the couches in the Common Room, their materials scattered all about. While Seonghwa was trying to finish an essay for _Potions_ , Yeosang had been staring out of the window for a while now, snacking on a Chocolate Frog and taking a small break.

“Seonghwa?” Yeosang called out suddenly.

The Prefect hummed in response, putting down his feather to look up at his friend.

“Do you remember, last year, around Christmas, when I wouldn’t talk to you?”

Seonghwa tensed. “Yes, I do remember. Why?”

“I’ve been wanting to tell you the reason behind it for a long time,” said Yeosang. He was still staring out of the window, his face held a somewhat serene and at ease expression, as if this secret had tormented for a long, _long_ time, but he finally had made his peace with it and whatever Seonghwa’s response would be, he wouldn’t be hurt by it anymore. “I’m not sure you ever picked up on it. You _can_ be dense.”

“Hey,” Seonghwa protested weakly.

Yeosang glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, smiling. “I…” He swallowed. He took in a deep breath. He hummed thoughtfully. “I rehearsed this in my head so many times. The exact words I’d tell you, but they don’t really apply anymore.” He chuckled. “A year ago, I would have probably just said it as easy as it sounds, that I’m in love with you,” he confessed. Seonghwa’s breath hitched. “But I can’t say that since it isn’t the case anymore. I still—I do believe part of me still loves you, in a romantic way, but there’s Mingi, and I’ve come to care for him _so much_. I love him, but I love you too. It’s a weird place to walk through.”

Seonghwa felt as though his friend had just slapped him across his face. He hadn’t known. Yeosang was very private with his emotions, hiding them well out of fear of getting hurt. It was a privilege to be his friend, to be one of the few special people he allowed his emotions to shine through to, but Seonghwa had never known that Yeosang was—had been—in love with him.

“Yeosang, I—”

The shorter Ravenclaw turned around, still smiling in that peculiar way. “It’s okay, Hwa, you don’t have to say anything. I know you’re happy with Hongjoong and that’s not something I want to take away from you. I talked with Hongjoong before talking with you. It didn’t feel right telling you this without him knowing about it. We’re good. I just thought you should know. He… actually encouraged me to tell you.”

That caught Seonghwa off guard. “What?”

Yeosang shrugged. “He said it’s important to have open conversations.”

“I suppose he is right,” Seonghwa agreed. He searched his friend’s face then, find if Yeosang was really as okay as he played it off, but he couldn’t detect any hint of sadness or pain—not like he had witnessed in the past, when Yeosang would ignore him or brush him off. 

He struggled to find words of encouragement to give to Yeosang, but his friend shook his head, swinging his arm around Seonghwa’s shoulder. “Don’t break your head trying to sympathize with me. I really am fine. No heartbreak, no resentment. I’m happy if you’re happy; and you _are_ happy, aren’t you?”

“Very,” Seonghwa admitted.

Yeosang’s smile was gentle. “Then that’s all that matters.”

**~*~**

It was the last game of the year, and for Seonghwa a lot was on stake. It was his first year as a Captain. If he won he could prove that he had been the right choice, that he was worth to be a Captain the following year too. He hoped he could win the game against Slytherin, have a winning streak until he graduated Hogwarts—it would certainly look nice on his curriculum once he started searching for jobs in the wizarding world. 

He knew that Hongjoong wouldn’t back down though. His boyfriend was a proud Hufflepuff and an incredibly skilled Quidditch player, the following year their rivalry would undoubtedly pick up once Quidditch season would start, but it would be a lot more playful than it had been until then. They had agreed that Quidditch would not break them up—plus they would be killed by Yunho if that were to be the case.

The afternoon sun shined softly down on them as the two teams walked out on the Quidditch field, the high stands around them were drowning in cheers for both teams, blue and green mixing together.

Heejin’s voice—who did the commentary for whenever Jongho played—resonated loudly over the cheers as she began her commentary.

Jinsoul reached out her hand for Seonghwa to take, a polite smile on her face. Their teams were already flying into the air. Professor Im glanced at them both, whistled in hand.

“Let this be a fair and clean game,” she said, as she always did. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Jinsoul said, nodding solemnly.

“We always play fairly,” Seonghwa added.

Professor Im gave him a look, but didn’t further comment. She threw the Quaffle high into the air and with a quick blow into her whistle, the game began.

Seonghwa jumped onto his broom and pushed himself off the ground, he turned around and quickly made his way towards the Ravenclaw goal posts. As soon as he was in position, he watched over the situation of the game. He was relieved to see Sooyoung and Yerim passing the Quaffle to one another as they dodged the Bludgers coming from Jongho and Felix. Changbin was trying to deflect any Bludger that came close to the Ravenclaw Chasers. Yeonjun was near the Slytherin goal posts, waiting for the right moment.

Jinsoul and Eunbin were flying near Seonghwa, communicating with each other wordlessly. Seonghwa squinted his eyes, but remained focused on what his players were doing. 

Once Sooyoung was close enough to Yeonjun, she passed him the Quaffle, and Yeonjun aimed at the goal, but Minho was quick, catching it. The Slytherin Keeper passed the Quaffle towards Jaehyun, who was a skilled flyer when it came to dodging. Within the blink of an eye, Jaehyun passed the Quaffle to Jinsoul, who scored the first points of the game.

Seonghwa cursed under his breath, passing the Quaffle to Yerim. 

_Come on_ , _come on_.

He watched with his breath held as Yerim and Sooyoung once again made their way over to the Slytherin goal post, this time, instead of passing the Quaffle to Yeonjun, it was Yerim that made the throw, scoring for Ravenclaw. The three Chasers high fived one another. Seonghwa grinned, proudly. He searched the stands, knowing that Hongjoong was somewhere there.

“It’s a very intense game,” Heejin was commenting about half an hour later. “The current score is still at 170 to 160, in favor of Slytherin. The Snitch has been sighted a couple of times, but disappeared before any of the teams’s Seekers could get a hold of it.” Loud cheers came as Ravenclaw scored again. “It’s clear to see that both teams are equally as good, and equally as determined to win the Trophy.” Ravenclaw scored once again. “It’s now 180 to 170 for Ravenclaw!” Heejin shouted. “It’s hard to tell who will win! It’s been a while since a game has held us on the edge of our seats!”

Seonghwa saw a golden shimmer above him and it didn’t take long for Chaewon and Yeosang to follow it, both Seekers flying next to each other. The cheers grew louder and louder, a tension reigning on the stands and Quidditch field that was nearly suffocating.

“Everyone, keep focusing!” Seonghwa yelled. “No matter what happens, play as you’ve been doing so far!” His teammates nodded their heads, Changbin showed him a thumbs up. “Remember, we can win this without the Golden Snitch!”

The Golden Snitch dipped low abruptly, but Yeosang and Chaewon were quick in following it. 

Eunbin and Jinsoul came towards Seonghwa at high speed, passing the Quaffle to one another. It was hard to tell which one of the two would score it. Seonghwa stopped it in time, but the impact had been strong and his fingers were hurting. With effort, he threw the Quaffle towards Yeonjun.

After twenty minutes the score lay at 210 to 180 in favor of Ravenclaw, but both teams’s energy was slowly dropping. The Seekers had lost the Snitch’s trail and were once again roaming around the Quidditch field, hoping to pick up its tracks. Seonghwa needed Yeosang to catch the Snitch. They couldn’t keep scoring goal after goal, at some point someone had to catch the Golden Snitch. 

Seonghwa’s initial plan of scoring enough points that, even if Slytherin caught the Golden Snitch, they were enough points ahead of their enemy team wasn’t working out. The Slytherin team was just as quick and efficient in scoring points.

Suddenly, the roaring of the spectators rose. Heejin’s commentary growing louder as well, her excitement getting a hold of her.

“Is that—? I can’t believe it!” she was yelling. “The Golden Snitch has once again made its appearance! Right in front of Slytherin’s Seeker too! It’ll be a tough one for the Ravenclaw Seeker to get there in time—!” her words were cut off as the cheering of the stands grew to a nearly unbearable volume.

Seonghwa focused on the game, but he noticed that all the players were incredibly distracted by what was happening with the two Seekers. 

“Guys! Focus!” he yelled at them, stopping a half assed attempt to score a point by Eunbin. Seonghwa threw the Quaffle at Yeonjun, indicating him to concentrate.

“Yeosang has caught up very quickly to Chaewon, flying right behind them!” Heejin’s voice once again filled the field.

Seonghwa watched Yeonjun and Yerim work together, Changbin circling them and redirecting any Bludger that made its way over to them, when a collective, sharp intake came from the stands.

“Oh, no…” Heejin whispered.

Seonghwa froze, his skin prickling. He whirled around, searching for the two Seekers. He found them far up in the air, their uniform capes fluttering behind them. It seemed one of them was hurt.

“It appears that Ravenclaw’s Seeker got injured!” Heejin commented. Madame Eunji was already on her way down to the field. “It’s still unclear who captured the Golden Snitch.” Seonghwa slowly landed as Professor Im was singalizing that the game was on hold.

“ _Yeosang_?!” Seonghwa ran over to his injured friend.

“He’s fine,” Chaewon reassured him. “He got the Snitch, but a strong gust of wind knocked him off his broom. I think he fainted mid air.”

“Oh.” Seonghwa let out a sigh. “Thank you for saving him.”

“Of course!” Chaewon faced Jinsoul then. “We lost, Captain.”

Jinsoul pressed her lips together, glancing at Seonghwa and then at Professor Im. She reached out her hand towards the Ravenclaw Captain.

“Congratulations,” she said, her tone clipped.

Seonghwa shook her hand. “Thank you.” 

Madame Eunji was fussing over Yeosang still. Seonghwa stood near him, brushing his blonde hair aside. Slowly, the Ravenclaw team was joining them. Yeonjun and Changbin were the first ones to arrive.

“Is he okay? What happened?” Yeonjun asked, panicking.

“Did we win?” Changbin wondered, peeking over Seonghwa’s shoulder at the Seeker.

Yeosang fluttered his eyes open then, blinking a few times at his team in confusion before a smile broke on his face. He raised his hand, which was curled into a fist, and when he opened it, inside was the Golden Snitch.

“We won.”

“You brilliant, little—” Changbin was in the midst of saying, hugging Yeosang tightly.

“Mr Seo, your friend needs rest!” Madame Eunji protested, pushing Changbin aside.

Seonghwa grabbed the Ravenclaw Beater by his cape, pulling him back. 

“I just received the final score,” Heejin commented. “It appears Ravenclaw’s Seeker got injured, but he did capture the Golden Snitch, granting Ravenclaw 150 points! Ravenclaw officially wins this year’s Quidditch Tournament!” Cheers filled the stands after Heejin’s words, a few boos were to be heard, but the cheering was much louder.

As students rushed down to the Quidditch field to congratulate the Ravenclaw team, Seonghwa’s eyes searched the crowd for a specific pair of dazzling eyes. He found Hongjoong not that far from him, Seonghwa’s Ravenclaw scarf wrapped around his forehead like a bandana. He had a beautiful and proud smile.

Seonghwa surged forward, meeting Hongjoong halfway, and without any hesitation he kissed him, wrapping his arms around Hongjoong’s shoulders to draw him closer. From somewhere, Wooyoung was wolf whistling at them, cheering loudly together with their friends.


	29. The Beginning Of The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some loose ends on jongho's part are being resolved, as well as just some fluff that i think is necessary after all the angst !! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy💛

His suit was suffocating him, like a claw that wrapped itself tightly around his neck.

The Courtroom had been full with famous wizards that Jongho had little knowledge of. He did pick up their identities here and there through Wooyoung as well as Taeil, who had given him a short but efficient briefing before Yeol’s hearing.

 _Yeol_.

It was done now. He had been sentenced for life to rot away in Azkaban. Although Jongho knew that it was what he deserved, his rightful place, there was a part of Jongho that had hoped his uncle would plead for mercy, apologize for his mistakes, but he hadn’t. 

It was painful, but Jongho was scared to admit that to his friends. They all had spoken openly about their distaste for Yeol, and for good reason, but Yeol was Jongho’s uncle. He had many fond memories of him, he had been raised, partly, by him. He couldn’t just throw all of that away within weeks or months. His mother was suffering a great deal too. She was inconsolable, blaming herself for the events and for putting her own son in danger. Jongho had reassured her more than once that it wasn’t her fault. But everyone had different ways to deal with guilt and shame and grief, so he let her walk through this on her own terms.

The Ministry’s Atrium looked incredibly different during the daytime. Jongho felt slightly self conscious as a teenager, everyone else was in the twenties and up, dressed much nicer than him. Even if he had made an effort by putting on a polished suit, he still felt oddly underdressed. When the elevator came to a stop, its doors sliding open, the first thing Jongho spotted was the Fountain of Magical Brethren in the center of the Atrium. 

He walked over to it, positioning himself right next to it, and waited for Taeil’s arrival. The man had told him to meet him there before he left for home. Thankfully, the student didn’t have to wait for too long.

“Ah, Jongho!” Taeil exclaimed, coming from a crowd of people. He waved at him. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

“Uh, likewise,” Jongho said, unsure. He still felt the weight of the hearing on his shoulders; the look in Yeol’s eyes when he had spoken about the power the Order of Lilith held. Jongho knew it would haunt him for a while.

Taeil smiled kindly at him, guiding him through the security towards the elevators. “I have heard from Yoonji that you passed your exams with spectacular grades,” he said, and Jongho was glad he wasn’t asking about the hearing.

“That’s good to know! I don’t actually get the results until in a few weeks,” Jongho squeaked.

“Oh, I know, but I think you deserve to know. You have been of great help so far. Take it as a little reward,” Taeil said as they were back inside the elevator. 

During daytime it was a lot more crowded than when he had sneaked out with his friends. 

Jongho smiled politely. “Thank you.”

Taeil encountered a colleague and chattered with him as the elevator moved downwards. A loud _ding_ sounded when they finally had reached Level 9. Taeil walked out, waiting for Jongho.

“I believe you know the way already,” he said, a small grin on his face.

Jongho sputtered. “No, I don’t,” he retorted.

“It’s fine, Jongho. As I said previously, no harm will come to you for that little adventure you and your friends did.”

Jongho frowned. It hadn’t struck him as strange for the first time. In fact, he had thought a lot about why they had received no punishment after it was very obvious that their sneaking out had been a lot more obvious than they had believed.

“May I ask why that is?” he inquired as the two walked towards the Department of Mysteries.

“Huh?” Taeil looked down at him, eyebrows raised in confusion.

Jongho stopped. “Why were there no repercussions?”

Taeil stopped, too, and turned around slowly. His lips were pressed together into a thin line. “I wanted to tell you much sooner, but with the hearing and your exams…” he began. Jongho’s heart beat fast in his chest, an all too familiar fear visiting him. “It is actually why I wanted to meet you here today. Please follow me to my office.” 

Jongho looked at him, scrutinizingly, and then followed Taeil to the door that led to the Department of Mysteries. Inside were multiple desks and a variety of wizards working at said desks. A row of doors circled the desk area. Jongho didn’t have much time to inspect the room as Taeil walked towards one of the doors, holding it open for Jongho to walk through.

“This is my office,” Taeil explained. “Please, make yourself comfortable.” Jongho sat on one of the free seats near the study. “I’ll be right back. Help yourself,” he added, gesturing at a silver tray with water, apple juice, and snacks.

“Thank you.” He poured himself a glass of apple juice and grabbed one of the cookies, waiting awkwardly as he studied the room. There wasn’t anything strange to it—not like he had imagined from the Department of Mysteries—just rows of tall bookshelves, a globe on a table in the far corner, a few paintings of old wizards that looked at Jongho with great interest, but didn’t say anything to him. 

It didn’t take long for Taeil to come back, he held a gray folder. Jongho could barely make out the words: ‘High Ranking Members of the Order of Lilith’. After Taeil sat down, he placed the folder onto his study, opening it and pushing it towards Jongho.

“I understand today was your uncle’s hearing ,” Taeil started and Jongho nodded. “I won’t pry too much, but please look through this folder and tell me if you recognize anyone.”

Jongho frowned at the odd request but complied.

There were rows upon rows with photographs of men and women, all rather old—around forty or fifty. At first, they didn’t strike any recognition in Jongho, but then he stumbled upon a vaguely familiar face. A man he hadn’t seen prior to that day. He had seen him in the Courtroom, sitting near the Chief Warlock during Yeol’s hearing. He seemed to be someone in a powerful position, being part of the Wizengamot and all. Jongho swallowed, looking up at Taeil, realization slowly dawning on him. He looked down at the folder again, flipping to the next page. Another familiar face he had seen between the Council of Magical Law earlier.

“Anyone you recognize?” Taeil asked, but going by his tone he knew Jongho had recognized them.

“These two,” he said and pointed at their faces. “What does this mean, exactly?”

“We always knew that members of the Order of Lilith had spies in the Ministry, but only recently did we gather a list of who we believe belongs to the Order. We didn’t want to believe that such… personalities of our community could be part of the Order,” he explained, a pained expression on his face. “As you may have realized, these two wizards hold very powerful positions in the Ministry. It surprises me that they didn’t try to help your uncle out of the hearing.”

“What will your next step be? How can I help?”

Taeil sighed, taking the folder. “We’re still deciding how we’re supposed to proceed,” he said. His demeanor changed then, a dark shadow hushing over his face. “You asked me earlier why there were no repercussions for your infiltration to the Ministry.”

Jongho swallowed, but nodded his head.

“Many members of the Department of Mysteries were distraught at your actions, demanding you get punished. Thankfully, I could convince them otherwise. You’re just kids, and you were dealing with something bigger than yourselves…”

“But that’s not all, is it?” Jongho inquired, sensing there was a lot more.

Taeil nodded his head. “Under normal circumstances you wouldn’t have been able to get into the Ministry, even with some young guard helping you out. We believe one of these members of the Order waited for you to sneak in. _They_ wanted you to succeed.”

Jongho’s heart pounded painfully fast in his chest, his blood running cold. “Oh,” he breathed out. “Is it… Is it linked to Choi San?” he dared to ask.

Taeil looked at him, his eyes searching Jongho’s face, as though he knew they had brought back San.

“ _Yes_ ,” he revealed. “They wanted the darkness to take hold of you in your attempt to save your friend,” Taeil finally replied. Jongho and his friends had already guessed that this was the case, but it was different hearing the confirmation. “I’m glad that wasn’t the case,” Taeil added then, the shadow on his face vanishing, and he smiled softly. “I’m sorry you kids had to deal with such difficult decisions and events.”

Jongho didn’t answer. He shrugged helplessly.

Taeil straightened himself in his seat, taking the folder away. “That isn’t the only reason I called you here, though, I wanted to discuss with you the summer program we have planned. It won’t take long. You can join your friend soon.”

Jongho cocked his head. “My friend?”

“Yes. The one that came to pick you up.” Jongho frowned. “Tall, brown hair… Looks like a friendly giant. Very kind smile.”

“Ah. That’d be Yunho.”

“I promise I won’t hold you back for long. You deserve some time with your friends before you come to work with us, which is why I scheduled for you to start helping us starting July. Would that be all right with you?”

“Yes. For how long?”

“Until mid August. We don’t want to rob you of all your free time. As I said before, your studies at Hogwarts should be your priority for now, but we do appreciate any help you might offer us.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jongho said, letting out a long sigh.

For the past year, he had felt so breathless, as though he was constantly drowning. It had built up over the months, and now he finally felt like he could start to breath again. That there was a foreseeable end to this madness and darkness.

After discussing the schedule, Taeil led Jongho back to the Atrium. By the Fountain of Magical Brethren stood Yunho. He was dressed in simple jeans and a t-shirt. He smiled politely at any Ministry worker that crossed his path. Taeil patted Jongh’s shoulder softly, telling him goodbye, and walked back to the elevators, leaving the Slytherin alone with the Gryffindor.

For some reason, Jongho felt a little nervous when he approached Yunho. The older had been an incredible help over the past months, the two of them growing close easily, from the start. Their bond had been a lot quicker and less tumultuous than their friends’s, and Jongho had started to feel quite comfortable in Yunho’s presence. 

“Jongho!” Yunho exclaimed, delighted, once he spotted the Slytherin. He rushed over to him, hugging him briefly. “How are you? We haven’t seen each other in a week. That’s way too long!”

Jongho giggled embarrassingly high pitched. “Uh, yeah. I’ve been okay. A bit stressed due to the hearing, but now that it’s over…” He shrugged.

“I’m sorry that you had to go through that,” Yunho said, his arm around Jongho’s shoulder as they walked down the Atrium, to the rows of fireplaces. “It mustn’t have been pleasant. He’s a horrible man, but he is your uncle too.”

Jongho’s heart squeezed in his chest, partly in pain, and partly in something else: that Yunho was so understanding of the situation.

“Why are you here?” Jongho asked then, as they waited in line. “I mean, it’s nice to see you, but why?”

“Well, you know how Wooyoung planned that camping trip? We decided to go earlier. Mostly, everyone is already on their way. Mingi and I decided to wait for you. He’s currently packing for us.” He glanced at Jongho. “But I understand if you want to stay home for today… It was a hard day after all.”

Jongho shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I want to come. I just need to go home to grab my stuff and change out of this stupid suit.”

Yunho smiled. “If it’s okay with you, can I come along? Meet your parents?”

“Um, sure.” Jongho felt his cheeks heat up.

**~*~**

The lake that Wooyoung and Yeosang had searched up for their little camping trip was a sight. Seonghwa had thought that seeing the Black Lake was already a breathtaking sight, but this… It was spectacular. The surface was flat, reflecting the sky and the surrounding trees with an almost scary accuracy. And the water! It was such a vivid blue, little silver fishes hushed beneath the surface, the sun reflecting on their skin, which made them sparkle like diamonds.

The forest spreading around them was deep and rich and so, so green, and far away from prying eyes from Muggles—and generally people. It was just the eight of them. 

San was struggling in the distance to put up a tent—they had agreed on Muggle camping in the end, much to the chagrin of half of their group. Jongho was reading the instructions to the older boy, hiding a smirk as San was frustrated and close to throwing the tent into the lake. Wooyoung seemed to have a much better fate, being almost done, but he had the help of Yunho, too, who had gone on multiple Muggle camping trips with his father.

Seonghwa had been left in charge of making a little campfire, which he wasn’t too worried about as he had a lighter and several packs of matches. He would make it work. Seonghwa was way more interested in watching Hongjoong and Mingi down by the shores of the lake. They had said they’d try to fish, but so far it was just them fighting over who got to hold the fishing pole while they simultaneously tried to push each other into the fresh and clear waters of the lake.

“If someone would have told me, last year, that I’d be standing here, camping with Hongjoong and Mingi, I would have laughed in their face,” Yeosang admitted, but he was fondly watching the two Hufflepuffs.

“Yeah,” Seonghwa agreed, smiling. “It’s crazy how much has changed in just one year. I wonder what adventures await us in the future.”

“I know for sure that they won’t be boring,” Yeosang said, crouching down to put down the small pile of firewood he had gathered since his arrival. “Come on, help me. You can always stare after Hongjoong _while_ you help me make a fire. At least _look_ like you’re working,” he said, grinning when Seonghwa scoffed, blushing madly.

“Shut up!”

“Nah, it’s way too entertaining to tease you.”

“I hate that you and Wooyoung sometimes share the same brain. It’s a curse!”

“You love us!” Yeosang retorted, grinning brightly. He dodged out of the way as Seonghwa tried to smack his shoulder.

About an hour later, their little camp by the lake was standing and Yeosang, with the help of Yunho and Jongho, had managed to start a little campfire, that was cackling happily away as the night was slowly falling on them.

Seonghwa was making a nice place for them to sit, putting down blankets and pillows around the fire.

“How was the trial?” he heard Yeosang ask Jongho. They hadn’t brought it up, not wanting to upset Jongho, as well as for the sake to get the campsite up, but now that it was done and they could relax, they were dying to know.

“He was sentenced to rot in Azkaban for life. He won’t ever get out of there,” Jongho replied. Seonghwa glanced at him. He looked guarded, shifting awkwardly as he poked around the fire with a stick.

“It’s for the best,” Yeosang spoke.

“Yeah,” Jongho breathed. “It is.”

“How’s that whole Order of Lilith thing going? The man you said is helping you?” Yeosang asked then.

Jongho shrugged. “I’ll be aiding him for a few weeks this summer. Aside from that, there isn’t much to talk about—Much that I am allowed to say,” he corrected himself. 

Seonghwa opened his mouth to inquire more about it, but Yunho shot up then. “Come on, let’s gather everyone. I’m starving!” he exclaimed, sensing that Jongho was uncomfortable and really did not want to talk about it.

Jongho let out a sigh of relief, dropping his stick in the fire. “I’ll get Wooyoung. I think he’s in charge of snacks and, knowing him, he’s probably secretly eating them.”

Seonghwa stood up, dusting off his legs. “I’ll get Hongjoong and Mingi.”

“You reckon they caught any fish?” Yeosang wondered.

Seonghwa grinned. “Doubt it.”

He walked down to the shores of the lake, where the two Hufflepuffs stood, splashing one another, their laughter faintly carrying through the afternoon breeze. Seonghwa smiled, approaching them carefully—he did not want to end up in the water.

“Hey!” he called out for them. “We’re done with the camp! We’re going to eat now!”

Mingi and Hongjoong stopped their shenanigans, the former swimming to the shore to get out. He shook himself, grabbing his towel.

“Good. I need food,” he grumbled, stalking away. “Joong is being a brat,” he added as he walked past Seonghwa.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” the Ravenclaw said as he walked closer to the Hufflepuff Prefect. “And, any success? With catching fish?”

Hongjoong grinned. He was still in the lake, moving his arms like a bird’s to keep himself afloat. He beckoned Seonghwa over.

“No way! You’ll just get me uselessly wet.” Seonghwa shook his head, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

The Hufflepuff pouted, but did swim towards the shore. “We did catch like two,” Hongjoong replied, pointing at a small pile in the sand. He got out of the water, droplets sliding down his face and torso, catching by his legs, where a puddle was forming.

Seonghwa was stuck for a moment, on Hongjoong’s body, feeling his cheeks heat up. They hadn’t gone anything further than making out, it was all still very new territory. Their most heated make out still was the first one they had had, by the Quidditch field. They had both been too distracted with saving their friends and then nailing their O.W.L.s to really focus much on their relationship—at least when it came to kissing and such.

Seonghwa liked to believe they had emotionally made a lot of big steps since they had started dating.

“What are you looking at?” Hongjoong asked, his eyebrows raised. He wore an infuriating smirk. 

“You have some, uh, algae stuck to your ribs,” Seonghwa said stupidly. Hongjoong’s smirk vanished, his cheeks turning red. He let out a small squeak, checking his body. Seonghwa started laughing and walked close to him. “You’re so easy to tease.”

Hongjoong pulled his shirt over his body angrily, pushing Seonghwa softly. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t,” Seonghwa sai, easily. It was funny, considering once Hongjoong really had, in fact, hated him, but worlds had been shifted since then.

Hongjoong watched him closely, still trying to pretend he was angry, but then Seonghwa reached out his hands, letting them rest lightly on Hongjoong’s waist. He stepped forward, into the Hufflepuff’s personal space, and leaned his face downwards, waiting. Hongjoong stared at him, his eyes wide. Seonghwa’s heart was racing, even if he had kissed Hongjoong multiple times by now—hell, he had even said he _loved_ him—there was still something very thrilling about kissing the Hufflepuff, even now.

Time stretched out between them, the sun warmly caressing their skin. Hongjoong finally surged up, standing on his tiptoes, and kissed Seonghwa. It was closed mouthed at first, just the electric feeling of their lips against each other’s, their hands tightly holding onto one another… But then, Hongjoong made a sound in the back of his throat, like a whine, and if Seonghwa wasn’t so affected himself he would have laughed, but he too was feeling his skin burn and the need to deepen the kiss.

He wasn’t quite sure who started it, but the next thing he knew was that the kiss had transformed and Hongjoong had his hands in Seonghwa’s hair, holding him still firmly. A warm sensation was blooming in the pit of Seonghwa’s abdomen, an all consuming fire that was spreading out, numbing him and making him feel alive at the same time. He pressed closer to Hongjoong, which wasn’t much as they were already standing incredibly close. With a brave heart, he dared to pass his tongue over Hongjoong’s bottom lip, eliciting a low whine from the Hufflepuff. 

Seonghwa’s heart was racing. He felt as though little ants were crawling all over his skin, with how sensible it felt. He could feel his t-shirt and the shorts he was wearing, all of his hairs standing up.

Most of all, he felt Hongjoong’s lips against his, his boyfriend’s tongue brushing against his. It was an incredibly overwhelming sensation, making him dizzy and want for more. _More, more, more_. He wasn’t sure what more—or he _knew_ , but was terrified to take the next step. 

When they parted, they were still standing close, breathing harshly.

“That was— _wow_ ,” Hongjoong whispered, his voice hoarse. His face was pink, his lips were red. He looked so pretty.

Seonghwa hummed in agreement. “We should definitely do that more often.”

“Yes,” Hongjoong said, quickly and eagerly. He recoiled, blushing even harder. “I mean, yeah, sure—”

“Joong,” Seonghwa interrupted him. “I want this as much as you do. Don’t feel embarrassed about it. I’m just as affected as you are.” He grabbed Hongjoong’s hand then and moved it towards his chest, where his heart was, to let his boyfriend know just how much their shared kiss had affected him.

Hongjoong stood motionless for a second, just feeling Seonghwa’s heartbeat. A fresh breeze passed over the lake, ambushing them. Seonghwa shivered, his skin was still overly sensitive. 

The Hufflepuff looked up then, a small smile on his lips. “Hey,” he whispered.

“What?”

“I love you. I know I said it before and I know we’ve only been dating for a few months, but I really do. And I know, when I wake up tomorrow, I still will.”

“I will, too, love you when I wake up tomorrow morning,” Seonghwa told him.

“One day at a time?”

“One day at a time,” Seonghwa agreed, but deep down he thought—he knew, he really did know—that in a year or in ten, he’d still love him.


	30. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lads, ladies, laddies, peeps, this is it !!!! the last chapter wow
> 
> originally this was going to be very different but i feel a lot better going with this version!! hope you enjoy it and thank you <3

**7 years later**

The bell at the train station chimed loudly when eleven o’clock struck. Parents and younger students—that weren’t old enough for Hogwarts yet—stared with wide and misty eyes at the obsidian body of the Hogwarts Express slowly riding out of the station, a body of smoke enveloping it.

Wooyoung stood amidst the many, many students running around the compartments, yelling and talking and laughing, all cheerful and looking forward to another year at the magical school. It brought a fond smile onto Wooyoung’s face as he remembered his own travels on this very train with his friends years ago. He had missed it dearly, but now he was _back_.

He grabbed the handle of his luggage tightly, hitched up his messenger bag on his shoulder, and made his way to the front of the train where the staff and those few professors were that rode the Hogwarts Express to get to the castle.

Technically. Wooyoung wasn’t a professor at Hogwarts _yet_. He was starting his first year as an assistant to Professor Taehyung—to aid him during the classes—with the prospect of becoming the future professor for _Divination_. It hadn’t always been Wooyoung’s dream, but after taking off two years to travel around and meet different wizarding communities, as well as work with magical creatures, he had finally decided to settle down and focus on his future.

There had been Hongjoong’s stern words as well, telling him he should stop running away and put an end to his constant avoidance of problems. Begrudgingly, Wooyoung had come home at nineteen to live with Seonghwa and Hongjoong in their shared flat as he figured out _what exactly_ he wanted to do, and once he found it, how exactly he could accomplish it. 

The front compartment of the Hogwarts Express was bigger compared to the others and when Wooyoung entered it, he was immediately waved over by Professor Taehyung, who was sitting together with a man that Wooyoung had learned was Taehyung’s husband, Park Jimin. Jimin lived and worked in Hogsmeade, at a smaller Muggle bookshop that wasn’t all too populated by Hogwarts’s students.

“Wooyoung. It’s so nice to see you!”

“Professor,” Wooyoung greeted him with a nod. “Jimin.”

“I’ve told you before, just call me Taehyung,” the odler told him, smiling kindly at him as he freed the seat next to him for Wooyoung. “How was your summer?”

Once Wooyoung had put his luggage and messenger bag away, he sat down. He smiled, looking down at his lap.

“It was… eventful,” he replied. It had been more than eventful. He had gotten married to San, they had purchased a flat near where Hongjoong and Seonghwa lived, they had adopted a cat together; but of course he couldn’t reveal any of this. “How was your summer?” he asked quickly before any of the two could pry.

Jimin launched into a detailed explanation of his and Taehyung’s adventures during the months of July and August. Wooyoung did his best to listen, but his mind travelled back to the beginning of the summer, when San had had his graduation celebration, proudly holding up his degree in Psychology. It hadn’t been what he had ever imagined to do in life, but it was the best he could do with what was given to him—with his second life.

“I don’t regret any of this,” San had told Wooyoung one night, in July, when the two had sat under the stars. “It’s never what I imagined, but that doesn’t make it bad, Woo. I’m here, _with you_ , and that’s more than I could have ever asked for.”

San’s return to humanhood had been rocky, especially becoming a Muggle and learning all the terms and rules of that world, so close to magic yet unable to use it; missing Hogwarts and its comfort for a long time. Wooyoung suspected he still did miss it. But his friends had helped him through it. Jongho, Seonghwa, Yunho, and Yeosang had helped him as much as they could with everything there was to know about the Muggle world and how to behave like a typical Muggle teenager.

“—unusual behavior,” Taehyung was in the midst of saying. He turned his face towards Wooyoung. “Weren’t you friends with that Slytherin ghost? Choi San?”

Wooyoung blinked and nodded his head.

“That’s another case of a ghost behaving strangely. I’ve tried to get Yoonji to tell me the truth, but she threatened to fire me,” Taehyung said, pouting. “Do you know what happened to him?”

Wooyoung shook his head. “No,” he lied. “He just… vanished one day.”

“That’s odd,” Jimin said, his eyes fixated on Wooyoung as though he knew. “I might have to interview you about him.”

Wooyoung swallowed, nearly choking from surprise. “What?”

“Jimin is writing a book regarding unexplored magic in the wizarding community. His current chapter focuses on ghosts and how much we actually know of the beyond.”

“Oh.”

“I know you two were close,” Jimin began. “Tae told me. I understand if you don’t want to speak of him.”

“No, it’s—fine.” He smiled politely. “You can interview me.”

Taehyung and Jimin kept talking, but Wooyoung stared out of the window distractedly. It had been difficult keeping San’s secret during their last two years at Hogwarts. Everyone had questioned them, especially Wooyoung, about the Slytherin’s whereabouts. Wooyoung had always replied the same, that San had vanished, moved on to the beyond… The questions had stopped at some point, but Wooyoung had felt torn about lying, about keeping it a secret when he had wanted to declare to the whole world that San was alive and they were in love. Of course, that would have been foolish, there was way too much danger in the truth.

It was enough that _he_ knew—that their friends knew. It was now enough for him to simply exist by San’s side, it was all he could have ever wanted and _that_ had become reality. There really wasn’t any more Wooyoung could wish for. 

He smiled then, ducking his head so he wouldn’t be questioned about what he was smiling about.

Life, as it was, was enough for him. He had San. He had his friends.

**~*~**

It had been a long time since Wooyoung had last seen the thestrals, and he didn’t find them as horrifying as he had all those years ago. He had started to make peace with his past and the death he had witnessed, didn’t haunt him as much anymore. It had been mostly thanks to many conversations with Mingi, knowing that there was someone who was in the same boat as him—having witnessed a parent’s death, having seen _death_. 

As the carriage made its way through nature, the Prohibited Forest rising next to them, the castle growing closer, Wooyoung’s breath was taken away once again as if it was his first time arriving at Hogwarts. The castle’s grounds spread out in front of them and Wooyoung was reminded of his last day as a student there, around five years ago.

He had spent the last day with his friends down by the Great Lake, enjoying the sun’s warmth and the fresh breeze that had blown over the high grass, rustling the cusps of the trees standing around. 

Wooyoung had looked forward to spending his summer with San, over at his cousin’s house, away from all the troubles. It had been a good summer. They had kissed for the first time then after their first kiss during their fifth year, and they had started dating too.

“Yoonji said she wanted to speak to us before the Welcoming Feast begins,” Taehyung said as the carriages were drawing closer to Hogwarts. Wooyoung nodded his head, shaking himself out of all the nostalgic memories.

Walking into Hogwarts again after so many years took his breath. Wooyoung stopped for a second, taking in the high ceilings, the paintings lingering by the walls, the unmoving knights—that he knew had a life of their own—and the many, many students that were flooding the Great Hall. Wooyoung stood with Taehyung near the grand staircase as they waited for Headmistress Min to appear and escort them to her office.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Taehyung inquired. “Coming back after so many years, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Wooyoung breathed, smiling. He felt a pang of nostalgia, remembering his sixth and seventh year at Hogwarts, which had been so incredibly different from all the others.

For starters, he had made new friends at the time, Seonghwa and Yeosang had started dating, and Wooyoung had written many letters to San—and spending nearly every waking hour anticipating their next encounter. He had missed him so much at that time, and yet, after his graduation, he had taken off instead of staying with San. 

But it had been necessary for him to grow.

With a shake of his head, he dismissed his thoughts and focused on his surroundings again.

“Ah, there she comes,” Taehyung muttered, walking up the stairs to meet Headmistress Min, who was already waiting for them, conversing with Professor Im. 

“Ah, Mr Jeong,” Professor Im greeted him. He bowed his head slightly. It was strange seeing her in the school, after all she had become a mentor for Yeosang, who had become a nurse at St Mungo’s and was aiming to aid Madame Eunji soon, becoming the Head Nurse at Hogwarts one day. “What a pleasure having you back in Hogwarts.”

Wooyoung smiled politely at her before he followed Headmistress Min and Taehyung to the headmistress’s office.

At first, Headmistress Min talked about Wooyoung’s role as an apprentice and assistant to Taehyung, clearing out his pay and what benefits he had while he stayed at Hogwarts. Once she was done, she set her piercing stare on Wooyoung, dismissing Taehyung with a quick wave of her hand. “I’d like a word alone with Mr Jeong.”

“Of course. See you at the Welcoming Feast,” Taehyung chirped and left the headmistress’s study.

“Is there anything else to discuss regarding my position?” Wooyoung asked, not sure what there was for her to further discuss with him.

She shook her head. “No.” A faint smile grew on her face. “This is about Choi San,” she said.

Wooyoung felt as though someone had emptied a bucket of ice cold water over him. He shivered. “What about him?”

“I know he’s alive. I work closely together with Moon Taeil, your friend’s boss. To find the Order of Lilith, your friend had to be honest with us.” Wooyoung was frozen, unable to formulate any words. “There will be no repercussion for your actions. You have all done a great service when it comes to taking down the Order.”

Wooyoung let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “We just wanted him back.”

Headmistress Min nodded her head, smiling reassuringly at Wooyoung. “I understand that. How is he doing? I was very fond of him.”

“He is doing well. He has fully adapted to the Muggle world,” Wooyoung told her, readjusting his position to something a little more relaxed.

Once again, she nodded her head. “It is my understanding he had to leave very abruptly. He never got to say goodbye properly to Hogwarts and his ghost friends here.”

“Yes. He thought it was for the better to leave everyone in the dark,” Wooyoung explained. “I don’t think he regrets that.”

“I have an offer for Mr Choi. I would like to grant him one last visit to Hogwarts. It would have to be discreet, of course. I’d like to say goodbye to him and wish him well.”

Wooyoung’s heart jumped in his chest, his eyes burning with tears. “I’ll let him know. Thank you, Professor.”

Wooyoung stood up to leave the study and join the rest of Hogwarts’s population at the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast. 

**~*~**

September’s night sky spread out in front of them, breathtaking and beautiful. They were standing on the Astronomy Tower as San’s last visit to Hogwarts came to an end. Headmistress Min had given them some privacy, telling them that whenever San was ready to leave again she’d be waiting at her office.

San took in a deep breath. “This brings back memories.”

“Yeah.”

Tears shimmered in San’s brown eyes as he studied the castle spreading out beneath them, its grounds all around them, the lake and forest dark spots in the distance. “I’ve missed it.”

“I know,” Wooyoung whispered. He took San’s hand in his, their wedding rings standing out on their tanned skin. “I hope this wasn’t more painful than it was rewarding.”

“No, don’t worry about it,” San reassured him, smiling. “It just puts into perspective everything we’ve been through over the past years. The sacrifices that were made, the risks we took… But I don’t regret any of it.”

“I don’t regret it either,” Wooyoung said, leaning up to place a chaste kiss on San’s lips.

It was strange kissing him at Hogwarts, where it had always seemed so impossible, when he had thought he would have to mend a broken heart for a long time. He remembered his promise to San, that he would come back after graduating so the ghost wouldn’t be alone. He supposed he had held his promise, even if the outcome had been _very different_ from what they both had imagined back then.

Wooyoung pulled back from San, gazing up at him. “Shall I escort you back?”

“Yes.” 

Together they climbed down the stairs of the Astronomy Tower, through the familiar corridors of Hogwarts, hand in hand, living what they once had believed to be impossible, but that just proved that _everything_ was possible there at Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY wow.  
> I have never written a chaptered fic like this,, never even thought about trying lol Looking back there is a lot i would change now (a lot of it, especially the ending, isn't what i had initially pictured, but i didn't know how to write it differently either so y'know 🤷), but it was my first try and i know it can't be perfect. I feel like the last couple of chapters haven't been great and i'm sorry about that, but honestly life has been hell and i've tried hard to write them and make them passable :/ I hope you still could enjoy the end of this journey despite that it might not be as of quality as the beginning of the fic!!  
> I am trying to be less of a critic and just be proud. I struggle to write and invest myself in a story due to depression and having little faith in myself and my writing skills, but back in Nov 2019 i was at a new low and writing was honestly the only thing that kept me going. I started writing When Ghosts Cry then and I honestly would've never thought to receive this kind of response :( All of your comments (as well as DM's and CC's, and tweets..) they all really warm my heart, seriously thank you so much, i have no words!! i love you all so much 💛💛💛💛💛
> 
> I'm really grateful for this journey and I am glad you were all a part of it!!! Until next time :') 
> 
>   
> \- here's my [twitter](https://twitter.com/hhhjoong) ^^  
> \- jack💛

**Author's Note:**

> There is a sequel out now in Yeosang's POV playing in their 6th year called [The Ice King](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24662566)!!
> 
> And there is a spin-off in San's POV where he isn't a ghost called [The Last Heir](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26560714/chapters/64749922)!!
> 
> A short sequel to WGC playing in their 6th & 7th years called [Order of Lilith](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29020215)!!


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